The Cursed
by Cabba
Summary: Three years of solitude has not been kind on Harry. But a letter changes everything. It seems that Harry wasn't destined to be a loner. With a whole new world that he's a part of he finds things that he never thought he would. But Harry's luck never leaves him when he realises that all that shines is pretty much cursed... (Sequel to Her Choices!) Canonships! Slight AU.
1. Another Great Day

**Hi! I loved the response for 'Her Choices'! Thought you deserved a little early surprise!**

**Here you go! I hope you love it!**

**I have not put it under the crossover archive, but if you have any problems, tell me. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the works of JKR on Harry Potter. (Except the change in plot. I own that right?)**

**Words – 2412**

* * *

Elsa giggled. She turned in her spot on the picnic blanket to call her two sisters, Leila and Sanya. The three four year old girls stared at the ten year old boy who was sitting alone at the edge of the park. They always saw him when they came to Crescent Park with Mummy. She was talking on the phone to Auntie Tess and Leila got up and ran to him. Elsa and Sanya followed her.

The black haired boy looked up from his book and stared at the three girls.

"Hi!" Leila chirped. The boy nodded and continued reading.

"I like you hair." She said.

Harry looked up and blinked. They had this conversation nearly every day.

"Yes. I know." Harry said.

The girls sat around him and stared at him till he shut his book and asked, "What do you want now?"

"Will you pway with us?" Sanya asked in a small voice. Harry had always intimidated her.

"No."

"Why not?" Elsa asked pouting.

"I'm busy."

"But…but you not have scwool!" Sanya said.

"No, I don't have to go to school this month. I'm not going to tell you how many mistakes your sentence had because you're too young to understand. It's the Summer holidays and I'll be going to a new school in September. I told you that."

"Oh. Will you pway with us?" Elsa asked and Harry shook his head. It was getting dark and he had to go back home to get Dudley's dinner ready.

"See you tomorrow?" Leila asked.

Harry shrugged, "May be."

The girls pouted and looked up at him through their eye lashes. Their large bright blue eyes started to shine with crocodile tears. Sanya brushed back her light brown hair which she shared along with her sisters and bit stuck out her lower lip. Harry sighed, "I'll try to."

"Bye, Harry!"

"Bye." He took his book and ran towards the forest wall to climb over the gate. He ran faster and felt like he was flying. Jumping over the river and the rocks that came into his path, he finally reached the gate.

He never opened it. Harry would always climb over the rusty rickety gate, making sure that it would never creak when he did so.

He opened the kitchen door and went in to see Dudley sitting much too close to the TV.

He kept his book on the table. Opening the fridge to take out the dinner to reheat it, Harry said, "You want to destroy your eyes?"

"Shut up. I'm hungry."

"Well, one day you'll be eating blind." Harry said casually knowing full well that you couldn't lose eyesight by staring at the screen from that distance, but it was amusing to see Dudley scramble to the couch, breathing hard as if he had escaped a grueling fight.

The smell of dinner really started wafting through the house and Dudley yelled for him to get it soon.

Harry looked back through the kitchen window, ignoring Dudley. He felt someone's stare at him and saw the little boy in House no. 3.

Actually no one lived there anymore. Any time, a family would move in, they'd run away screaming that it was haunted. The neighbourhood stayed away from the accursed building. If anyone got to close to it…

Well, let's just say that it didn't end well.

People had once come with huge machines to break down the house. But every time that happened, the machinery would stop working. Either the parts would crumble and break, or the engine would get corroded, or it would start raining so heavily that people couldn't see their hands in front of their faces. Some actually felt that there was something supernatural going on around the house.

Last year, a group of boys had sent a dog into the house. Harry had seen it from his maple tree. The small dog was pushed in through a broken window. For a few seconds, the dog's barking was heard. Then it let out a loud bark and a series of yelps and squealing were heard. The silence which followed was enough to guess the dog's fate.

Harry knew that there was something inside. That something was a small boy whose description fit the one Percy had said from his dream. At times the child would stare at Harry as if contemplating his fate. Whatever the child was, it was not friendly.

Harry blinked and the boy disappeared. Trying to calm his pulse, he walked up to his room, his stomach rumbling. He had only a few fruits under the bed and knew that he should have restocked them yesterday. Sitting on his small bed, he looked at the photo on his night stand.

He was four. Sally had her arms around him and Percy as they were sitting in the water on Cristy Beach. The three of them grinned in a way, that Harry felt that it was impossible to achieve such a level of happiness. He took the frame and stared at the photo through the glass which was coated with a layer of dust. He hadn't touched it for nearly a week.

He felt his chest get heavy and put back the photo. He leaned back, taking an orange from below the mattress and bit into it, the sheath, fruit and all.

It would be three years this Halloween. Three years since he had heard from them at all. At times Harry wondered whether it was all a great unbelievable dream that a woman and her son had come and saved him. He felt his bracelet through his sleeve and flicked his wrist to let the dagger come into his grip.

"Skothos." He murmured. The blade reflected a part of his face. His green eye was a little dull in the reflection. Twirling the dagger by the handle, he closed his eyes, remembering the intense training of the two months before they had left. He and Percy were very good at it. Not as good as Mum, but she had been proud and had kissed him when he perfectly destroyed a mannequin they had found in another part of the forest.

The feeling of her lips brushing across his hair felt far. He let out a shaky breathe and put the dagger back into his bracelet with a practiced move. The charm glowed for a second before fading.

Harry turned to the mirror and saw himself. His reflection stared back at him and said, "You'd think, they would at least write to you. May be they already forgot about you."

"Shut up." Harry growled. His reflections were so annoying!

* * *

Sleep never took Harry. Most nights, he'd stay awake listening to the sounds of the forests or thinking about everything he had done and seen for the day. It was about six in the morning and Harry decided that he couldn't waste anymore time.

He got up and stretched. Touching his fingers to his toes, without bending his knees, bending backwards to touch his head to the ground and doing a few back-flips was a routine. His hand nearly missed the shelf and he let out a breath. His room was much too small for these stunts. He'd go into the forest.

Taking a ten minute bath, after returning from the forest was to remove all evidence that he had been there.

He had just rubbed his hair with his small towel when someone pounded on his door. He immediately stuffed the old newspapers under his bed, lest they saw it. The Dursleys didn't like it when he read the paper or watched the news.

"Get out, freak. You better make pancakes before you're toast! Hah!" Dudley's loud voice rang through the house. Harry gritted his teeth. Dudley was way too happy. Wanna know why? It was his birthday. One of the worst days in the world. Right on the top along with Harry's.

Dumping the towel, he went down to the kitchen and received a stiff look from his Aunt. "Don't burn them."

Uncle Vernon glared at him and said, "How many times did I tell you to comb your hair?!"

_More than 57 times_, Harry thought but felt it wise not to tell him that. As picturesque as it would've been to see his uncle's face go red, he would still be grounded. Although, he was grounded nearly once a week (which was an improvement from a daily basis), he had no wish to chat with danger.

Dudley slammed the door of his room, where he had run back into before and rushed to the kitchen.

"There's the birthday boy! The handsomest cutie pie in the world!" Petunia threw her arms around him and kissed his head. Harry looked away.

She clapped her bony hands over Dudley's eyes and led him into the dining room.

"I want everything to be perfect on my Ickle Diddykins' special day!"

Uncle Vernon smiled proudly and kept his newspaper down.

Aunt Petunia removed her hands with a flourish to show her son the large dining table over flowing with gifts and wrapped packages and huge boxes. He stared at them all and his smile fell. Harry flipped the pancakes onto the four plates.

"How many are there?" he said angrily.

"37. I counted them myself." Uncle Vernon said proudly, but Harry could detect a hint of fear.

"37! But last year I got 38!" Dudley shouted.

Harry sat down with his plate and added a little syrup, watching the soap opera in front of him. Normally soaps weren't his thing, but this show was free and he could watch it live.

"Most of them are bigger than last year –"

"I don't care how big they are!"

"Now, now Popkin. When we go out today, we'll get you two more, presents. How's that? Two more." Aunt Petunia said. Harry rolled his eyes. If they went at this pace, the house would be pack with gifts by the time Dudley was thirteen.

"So that's… uh…"

Harry finished his pancakes and washed the plate wondering how the two adults felt when Dudley asked for the answer to 37 plus 2.

"39, Diddy."

"Okay." He sat down with a huff and started to rip open the packages. Harry went up to Dudley's room to do his daily tiding up work and then went to try and comb his hair. He was unsuccessful at that and so he put on his cap. He never went anywhere without it. The cap had lost his mother's scent of dahlias and home-made cookies, but at times he felt that she was right next to him.

He jumped the last six steps of the stairs and landed silently, waiting for the Dursleys to get ready. It was a shock to him and Dudley when they had agreed to let Harry come to the zoo.

Yesterday's tantrum was worth seven pounds and a popcorn tub.

Before they got into the car, Uncle Vernon pulled Harry aside and threatened him about messing up the trip. Harry didn't say anything. He was 40 % sure that something out of the ordinary was going to happen. At least that was better than the situation being a 100% loss because he had been practicing the breathing techniques for years to calm himself down in tense conditions.

The day was rather peaceful as they watched the animal in cages who stared back longingly at Harry. He gave them a look that said 'sorry'.

He couldn't manually open the gates. There was some kind of switch in a control room. He supposed he could get in there, but then there were too many security guards with guns meant for animals.

The last part of the zoo was the Reptile Cage. While Dudley wanted to see the deadly killer pythons, Harry went to the smallest snake and said, '_Hi._'

The small vine snake lifted it head and then stretched from a branch in its cage. It cocked its head and said, '_Hello?_'

'_Who is the oldest snake, here_?' Harry asked. The snake jerked its head to the glass cage on the other side where Dudley and his parents happened to be.

'_Thank you_.'

Harry walked towards them and then noticed that every snake had been watching him. He warned them with his eyes and they immediately looked elsewhere.

"Make it move." Dudley said. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass with his knuckles. Harry realized that the snake was pretending to be asleep. He looked at the sign which said that it was a boa constrictor and was bred in the zoo.

It was also the biggest snake. Since snakes grew larger till they died, it made sense.

"Move!", Dudley said loudly hitting the glass. The snake just 'snoozed' and Harry knew that it was irritated with the vibration caused by the annoying human.

"He's asleep." Harry said. Dudley just 'humphed', "He's boring."

The three moved away and Harry moved towards the centre, '_They don't know what's it like. Lying there day after day. I know you're awake_.'

The snake looked up interested, '_I have heard of humans who know of our tongue, but have never met one. It is an honour_.'

The snake bowed and Harry inclined his head, '_The honour is mine_.'

'_For a human of your age, you seem quite developed_.'

'_Thank you. What I'm curious about is from where you have heard about others like me_?'

'_Far away from here. You need not cross the ocean. But it takes many long moons to reach_.'

'_Oh, well. It's nice –_'

"MUM! DAD! You won't believe what he's doing!" Harry was pushed hard towards the wall as Dudley leaned up and pressed his nose against the glass. Harry glared.

The glass vanished. Dudley yelled, his arms flailing around and fell inside into a puddle of water. He froze when he saw the huge snake looking at him. Then the snake uncoiled itself unto the ground and looked at Harry, '_Thanks amigo. Brazil, here I come_.'

'_Mucho Gracias_.' Harry mumbled, wondering how the snake knew Spanish.

People screamed and jumped upon railing as the Boa slithered away, snapping playfully.

Dudley managed to get his breath and stood up. His hand hit the solid transparent glass.

"Mum? MUMMY!"

Aunt Petunia screamed.

She ran up and banged her thin hands against the glass, "MY DARING BOY! HOW DID YOU GET IN?"

"GET ME OUT, MUMMY!"

Uncle Vernon glared at Harry who sighed.

Another great day.

* * *

**How was it? Yeah, I know that a half was from my side, a half from the book and a half from the movie, but things are going to change once Harry gets his letter.**

**Stay tuned!**

**Cabba.**


	2. Breakdowns and pickups

**theHuntress101 - Can't tell you that. It's not gonna happen for a while, though.**

**RedRangerBelt - Yeah. Of course. Spoiler alert! Yeah, that's where Sally and Percy used to live. You'll find it out, later. **

**HPWallFlower - No, Percy will not be there in this fic. That's why I haven't put it under the crossover archive.**

**Enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the works of Harry Potter. J. K. Rowling does.**

**Words – 3668**

* * *

Harry sighed as a small soup bowl was pushed through the cat flap in his door. Uncle Vernon had fit it months ago when Dudley had said that it was Harry who had knocked down Mrs. Figg after stealing poor little Dudley's cycle.

He never wanted to eat the cold soup which in the first place didn't have enough nutrients a soup as an appetizer dish should have. His fruits had sustained him for years but they were getting rather monotonous. Yesterday, he had discovered Maple leaves were rather nice to taste.

In fact, every leaf, flower, stem, root (without the mud) tasted good and satisfying. Harry knew that he could survive for a long time in the wild as long as the plants allowed him to let them eat them.

He could imagine Percy laughing himself silly if he ever got to know about it.

And then Mum would say, 'One of my boyfriends had once said...'

Harry even missed her 'boyfriend' stories. Percy and Harry would always groan when she recalled all her ex-boyfriends. Sighing, he sprinkled some lemon juice over the soup before proceeding to eat it.

* * *

His finger had just grazed over the edge of the slightly broken window pane. Harry ignored the dull throbbing. Years of playing the guitar right under the Dursley's noses had made the skin on his finger tips rather numb. Mr. Petronile Dastel, who had gotten along quite well with Sally had agreed to teach Harry how to play mainly because the boy was a child prodigy.

He was bald with kind brown eyes, who was one of the only people around who actually was nice to Harry.

Mrs. Leslie Bishop, the Librarian always let him take the book of his choice, with the promise of him returning them within the week.

Mrs. Figg, though slightly crazy with her mumblings would treat Harry like an adult. Letting him do whatever he wanted in her house when the Dursleys would leave him there. This was due to the fact that her cats loved him, but Harry respected her distance.

And of course, the Wilmanson Triplet, Elsa, Leila and Sanya who thought him to be their role-model. Though their parents would never have let them stay with Harry, the girls where smart enough to sit with him when their parents were busy.

Harry knew that they hated it whenever he wouldn't come. He had to play his guitar for them so that they would throw his book at his head. How they'd get their hands on it was a mystery Harry had yet to figure out.

He heard his door knob and he looked up to his aunt, her hands dripping wet.

"Your punishment's over. Make Dudley his bacon."

Harry wordlessly got off his bed and went straight to the kitchen. It had been more than three weeks since the zoo incident. He had no idea where the boa was, but hoped that it got to a ship safely.

Then he saw his aunt wash something in the sink. The smell coming was quite horrendous.

He had an idea for what it was but dismissed it and went to the pan. He kept to his thoughts, trying to not look into the sink and sat down to start on his breakfast when Dudley paraded into the room wearing what might have been the official dress code of an alien spaceship. Harry then remembered that he was going to a school called Smelting's where people were forced to wear maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. He had a thick knobbly stick and banged it against the couch to alert the others.

Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged him and said, "My little Dudleypie is all grown up!"

Uncle Vernon, grinned proudly and announced, "Yes, I can definitely saw that this is the best day of our lives!"

Harry had one hand squashed up against his cheek, his elbow resting on the table as he had a completely bored expression. He wondered what Percy would have said and then realised that his brother might have been too busy laughing to say anything.

Dudley smirked and waved his stick close to Harry who ignored him. There was a sound of the mail sliding through the slot in the front door. Uncle Vernon turned a page in his newspaper and said,

"Get the mail, Dudley."

"Make Harry get it."

"Get the mail, Harry."

"Make Dudley get it."

"Poke him with you Smelting's stick, Dudley."

Harry dodged the stick and went. Apparently, his uncle was in a good mood today.

There were three letters. A mail from Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge. (Or Monster Marge, as Percy used to call her), the electricity bill (which would be no doubt larger, due to what Dudley had done to the TV last week) and a letter for Harry.

He could have sworn that his neurons stopped functioning for a second before working over time.

Was Mum finally writing to him? Was she going to come back? Did Percy finally convince her to take him away?

Harry stared at the heavy yellow envelope.

_Mr. H Potter,_

_The smallest bedroom,_

_No. 4, Privet Drive,_

_Little Whinging, Surrey._

He turned it and frowned. There was a thick emblem of a badger, eagle, lion and a snake around the letter 'H'. Percy couldn't have drawn that. Sure he's always said that 'H' was a main part in Harry's life especially with his scar resembling the letter in lower case.

But he felt that this 'H' was different.

"What are you doing, boy? Checking for letter bombs?" Uncle Vernon chuckled at his own words.

_No, I'm thinking, but you wouldn't know what that means._

Harry slipped the letter under his shirt and gave the other two to his uncle. He ate his breakfast, ignoring what Uncle Vernon complained about or the smell getting even more horrible or Dudley whacking his leg every now and then.

When he finally finished his work, he cleaned up and ran outside. Making sure that no one saw him, he climbed over the gate and started running. For the first time in nearly three years he felt something that was close to hope blossom in his chest.

He reached his usual training spot and climbed up his tree which was right above the river.

Breathing in the smell of the earth, forest and fresh non-polluted air, he took out the letter and stared at it again.

The first doubt came only when he saw the red wax with a seal the same as the emblem. Wax wasn't in use at this age and time. Was it a code for something? He smelled the letter and then realised that there was a faint tingling sensation from it. As if the letter couldn't wait for him to open it.

He carefully tore the flap open and took out the letter which was a yellow coloured paper. Parchment would be a more accurate term for it. It was longer than a Type A paper and thus read...

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump of International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Harry J Potter, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress _

Harry frowned. A school. The letter had accepted him into a school whose name was not 'Stonewall High'.

His Mum's voice rang through his head. A school. For him. He was different. A whole school for people as different as him?

It sounded hogwash! Hogwarts! What kind of school name was that?

Harry looked into the envelope to see another folded parchment.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM _

_First-year students will require: _

_1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_4. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings) _

_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags. _

_COURSE BOOKS _

_All students should have a copy of each of the following: _

_The __Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)__ by Miranda Goshawk _

_A History of Magic__ by Bathilda Bagshot _

_Magical Theory __by Adalbert Waffling _

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration__ by Emeric Switch _

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi__ by Phyllida Spore _

_Magical Drafts and Potions__ by Arsenius Jigger _

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them__ by Newt Scamander _

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection__ by Quentin Trimble _

_OTHER EQUIPMENT _

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set glass or crystal phials_

_1 telescope_

_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad. _

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK._

_Yours sincerely, _

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_

_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions _

Oh yes, wizards and witches and magic and spells and potions. Made a lot of sense, it did! (Notice the sarcasm?)

Harry closed his eyes. Magic. That's what he could do. He listened to the sounds of the forests. They told him he was special.

The tingling sensation of the letter faded away completely.

Harry turned it to look at the emblem. The 'H' was for Hogwarts. The symbol was certainly not drawn. It couldn't be printed either. It was embossed as if a custom made sticker was attached to the letter. The material was heavy and obviously expensive. If it was a joke, it was a very costly one.

Harry decided to go with the large part of his brain that was screaming, _Yes, you can do magic! You're a Hogwarts student, now!_

Harry took a deep breath and looked up. He had to reply by his birthday. How? He could flick a plain sheet from his uncle's study and get a pen with a proper refill. But he would have to explain his situation.

How was he supposed to get the letter to these people? There was no return address. More to the fact, there wasn't a stamp either. How did it go through customs?

He had no idea, where the entire world was!

There had to be a clue. Harry re-read the letter in vain. It wasn't written from where to buy all the equipment. Harry glared at the letter. Shouldn't these people make sure that the students understand what they have in their hands? If they wanted the children to not think it was a practical joke...

Harry sighed and came to the conclusion that the only person close to him who knew the slightest hints about magic was his aunt. She had to know something!

On the other hand, he had another idea...

* * *

_Headmaster Albus Dumbledore,_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,_

_Dear Headmaster,_

_I have received your letter of acceptance into your school. Unfortunately, it does not contain any necessary information of from where to purchase all the equipment. Furthermore, the letter was sent in the mindset that I have knowledge of the Wizarding world, where I don't. This letter has not followed the normal method of letters sending and receiving and so, I'm at a loss on what to do about the situation._

_Please reply soon,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_H Potter._

He slid the folded A-4 sheet into an envelope and leaned back against his small chair. His room had been neglected since yesterday when he had received his letter and there was the evidence of the newspapers, books, papers and over-flowing dustbin.

Maybe he could use his magic to get the letter to the school. Harry kept the envelope on the window sill and stared at it.

After a few minutes of not blinking, he shut his eyes to get rid of the burning sensation.

He'd have to ask his aunt then. This was not good...

The sound of ruffling feathers made him look up and nearly jump. He was staring at a big brown owl who was staring back at him smartly. Much too smartly.

"Will you deliver the letter?" Harry asked uncertainly. The owl hooted softly and stretched out its leg where there was a dark blue tag to clip on the letter comfortably. Harry frowned. The owl was trained well.

He slowly attached the letter and the owl looked at him again.

"I need you to send it to Hogwarts. To the headmaster. If it's no problem, that is..."

The owl hooted, slightly offended by his words and flew away. Harry leaned out to see the direction. The owl flew north and Harry stared until it was out of sight.

What was north of Surrey? London, North England and then Scotland and open seas. He would have to look more into it.

* * *

Leslie, the librarian patted Harry's head and left him in the middle of the map room.

Harry had received yesterday's reply in the wee hours of the morning and had set off at once to the library. There had been a bit of dust in this owl's feather and when he had brushed them off, he had made sure that the dust fell on his bed.

The soil was a type found near the border of England and Scotland. The snake hadn't been kidding when he had said that it was very far away.

He looked at reply once again. He liked the slanting looping handwriting.

_Mr. H Potter,_

_The smallest bedroom,_

_No. 4, Privet Drive,_

_Little Whinging, Surrey._

_Dear Mr. H Potter,_

_I have received your unexpected queries on our institution in surprise. I do know that, you uncle and aunt have knowledge about our situation. If they have not been able to explain all your doubts or have withheld that information from you on purpose, send back a reply and I will send an escort to personally explain your questions to your satisfaction._

_I apologise for the sudden introduction of the Wizarding world and hope to see your letter of agreement no later than July 31__st__._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Albus Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry; Order of Merlin, First Class; Grand Sorc.; Chf. Warlock;__Supreme Mugwump of International Confed. of Wizards_

Harry hadn't expected the headmaster himself to reply back in sincerity. He had sent back another letter as soon as he had read to tell him about having no idea of their world.

Harry turned back to the map of North England and decided that the school was in Scotland. Maybe he should have to ask where in Scotland.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of the dust of books. He was lost in his thoughts till Leslie shook him and he got up with a jolt.

"It's nearly lunch time, Harry. Shouldn't you be going?" She chided and he helped her arrange all the maps back and took his small packet of dust along with the letter.

He ran back all the way and knew for sure that he'd be in trouble.

He climbed the maple tree. Perhaps he could convince them that he'd been in his room all the time. It would have worked if Dudley hadn't seen him through the window.

"DAD! Harry's climbing that tree. I told you he wasn't in the house!"

"BOY! GET DOWN HERE, THIS INSTANT!"

Harry sighed. He leapt into his room, hid his letters and went down the stairs, his hands in his pockets. He stood and stared at his uncle calmly.

"Where were you?" Uncle Vernon asked in a forced calm voice.

"The Library."

"What were you doing in the Library?"

"Reading."

"What were you reading?"

"Maps."

"Of what?"

"England and Scotland."

"Why?"

"To find out where Hogwarts is."

Uncle Vernon stopped breathing and Harry took a second to admire the beautiful change of colours in his uncle's face. Normal to red to blue to purple to grey. Spectacular.

"What did you say?" His uncle asked in a deadly whisper.

Harry shrugged as if he wasn't standing next to a bomb.

"Hogwarts. Apparently, I'm not going to Stone Wall. I wanted to confirm this before telling you. I send a letter to the headmaster of Hogwarts and he replied that he'd be sending someone today to explain everything."

"PETUNIA!" Uncle Vernon screamed. Harry's aunt rushed in, wiping her hands in her floral apron. She frowned at the scene. A confused son behind the couch, an unreadable expression on her husband's face and a very calm nephew who looked bored.

"What is it?" She asked unknowingly opening Pandora's box.

"HIM! THAT'S WHAT! HE GOT THAT LETTER! THEY TOOK HIM IN!"

Aunt Petunia stared at her husband and then at Harry. She glared at her nephew.

"How dare you?"

"No, I've never dared anyone for three years." Harry said seriously. His aunt's face was red.

"You freak! I knew it! We should never have taken you in!" She shrieked and Harry asked, "Then why did you? Is it because of the shield?"

His aunt looked shocked. "What? Who told you that?"

"You're asking me too many questions. May I ask a few now? Why didn't you tell me I was a wizard?"

His aunt and uncle staggered back as if he had announced that he was going to destroy the world.

"You...you... you're not going!"

"Yes, I am."

Aunt Petunia blew it, "NO! WE SWORE THAT WE WOULDN'T LET YOU GO! AND YOU MOST CERATINLY ARE NOT –"

There was a crack like a gun-shot and the Dursleys and Harry froze. He flexed his left wrist and the dagger came into his hand. He held it into a defensive position. The Dursleys were quaking with fear.

They could see a huge silhouette moving through the net of the window. It was much taller than the average man's height. It moved slowly stumbling, now and then over the thin stone pavement around the house.

Dudley scrambled from his spot to hide behind his mother who squeaked.

The silhouette came around the front and then disappeared behind the wall.

The doorbell rang.

For a few seconds, nobody moved. The bell rang again and they heard a series of knocks.

Harry inched forward after realising that the Dursleys were frozen. He made the dagger disappear and opened the door.

There was a mountain of a man who looked down at him. He had lots of wild tangles of hair around his face. He had eyes which looked kind. His clothes were slightly old and his brown coat was faded. He had huge boots and Harry looked up to see the giant smiling.

" 'ello there, Harry. For a momen' , I though' you wes James!"

Harry blinked. The man didn't look mad or deranged. In fact, Harry had the strangest dream of him flying.

"My Dad?"

"Yeah! Do you mind, if I came in?"

Harry opened the door and the giant squeezed in. He shut the door and put a pink umbrella into his coat. Harry stared at it and then looked at the man who smiled at the frozen people in the room.

Uncle Vernon got some of his courage and stammered, "What are you?"

The man blinked, "The Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, of course!"

Harry said, "I told them you were coming. What's your name?"

"Rubeus Hagrid. I stay at 'ogwarts. Dumbledore told me tha' you had some problem –"

"Yes! He's not going!" Uncle Vernon said.

Hagrid looked confused, "You can't 'ome-school 'im. Otha magical schools are really far away. 'ogwarts is the best option."

"He doesn't need any of this nonsense!" Uncle Vernon sneered and Hagrid frowned, "Nonsense? No, no, you got it all confused. 'arry's had his name down ever since 'e and... 'e was born."

Harry caught the stumble in Hagrid's words. He and whom?

"He isn't going! The boy doesn't need to be any more of a freak than he already is!"

Hagrid lost his calm. He stepped towards Uncle Vernon who stepped back onto Aunt Petunia's foot who screamed.

"Lily was righ' when she said, ya were no good." Hagrid said quietly.

Harry looked up surprised. His parents had known him.

"He...he isn't –" Uncle Vernon tried but Hagrid interrupted him.

" 'arry? Do you wanna go to 'ogwarts?"

Harry looked at Hagrid and then at the Dursleys. "Yes."

"Ya can't stop 'im now, Dursley."

"I can try." The man said and nearly ran back when Hagrid glared at him.

"Try it and I'll flatten you like a pancake. If 'e wants ter go, 'e's goin'."

Harry liked this man.

"Hagrid? I have a few doubts." Harry asked. Hagrid looked at him and smiled.

"Sure! I'll explain everythin' on the way to Diagon Alley. Dumbledore said ter take ye shoppin'."

"Diagon Alley? Now? I'm ready. Shall we leave?"

"Yeah." Hagrid gave a hard look at the Dursleys and turned but Uncle Vernon shouted, "HE'S NOT GOING!"

"Shout a little more, Dursley. Hopefully, ye'll explode." Hagrid said, a little amused.

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE HIM!" Uncle Vernon's vein was dangerously pulsing and Harry wondered how painful the man's death would be if it actually burst.

Hagrid opened the door and said, "He'll be back by the evenin', I'll take care of 'im."

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, YOU BIG –"

Hagrid shut the door and walked along with Harry. " 'e 'as a bad temper."

Harry nodded. "Where's Diagon Alley?"

"In London. Ye get yer school stuff and lot's of otha' thin' there. Firs', we'll need to get yer money ter go shoppin'."

"I haven't got enough money, Hagrid."

"Sure ye do! We need to go ter Gringotts firs'. It's our bank. Yer trust fund is in there!"

"I have a trust fund?"

"It's not as big as yer family vault, I expect, but it's enough for yer seven yers."

"I have a family vault?"

* * *

**Yeah, this was real long. I was going to continue and then realised that it would be better in the next chapter. My chap lengths will be irregular depending on the content. It won't go below 2000 words, but it won't be too long, either.**

**I'm not sure if I got Hagrid's style of speaking right. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know or I'll continue it this way.**

**If anyone's got any doubts, PM or review me! If it isn't a spoiler, I'll answer them.**

**Stay tuned for more!**

**Cabba.**


	3. Thoughts, questions and more thoughts

**Hiya!**

**Rinneko Tsukinomori – Harry and Percy aren't going to meet for a while.**

**RedRangerBelt – Yes, Hagrid is going to answer Harry's questions. Your guess is quite close. There are a few OCs but they're not mentioned very much. There however will be one OC who will be close to Harry. (In a way you won't guess!)**

**Juli Beawr – Harry and Percy are NOT blood related. That's a main thing here. My story is going to show how blood may be thicker than water, but sometimes it just doesn't matter.**

**Mythomagic-Champion – PJO will not be mentioned much here, though. This is focusing only on Harry's life until he meets Percy again.**

**E J ect – Thank you for the praise! That was the rational thing to do for my Harry.**

**Alexander Pierce – Your review meant so much to me. Thank you! I'm seeing to the mistakes already!**

**theHuntress101 – No, I'm going to do half of Harry's years and then go on to Percy's life. I'm not going to do alternate years because frankly, that method hadn't even entered my mind.**

**Any other doubts? You know what to do!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the original works of HP.**

**Words – 3558**

* * *

The underground train journey had caused them a few troubles, but other than that, it wasn't so hard to reach London.

Harry looked around, "Where's Diagon Alley?"

"It's hidden from muggles. But ye need ter find the entrance firs' . The Leaky Cauldron. Real famous, that place. See? Righ' here." Hagrid pointed to a dark shop between a flourishing clothe store and book stall. There was a metal board of a stereotypical witch stirring a cauldron with fumes coming out. The cauldron didn't seem to have a leak, though.

Harry frowned, "Can't anyone else see it?"

"Nope. Unless, you tell the muggles, they can't see it. Strong charm. Used for lots of doors between wizard and muggle places."

"Muggles." Harry repeated.

Hagrid opened the door and led Harry inside. The place was empty, owing to the fact that it was past lunch time. Hagrid must have forgotten as they hadn't stopped for a bite. Harry didn't mind though. He felt the tingling sensation around his body and knew that there was something big behind the opposite wall.

"Is it through there?" Harry asked, pointing to the wall. Hagrid looked surprised, "Well ya. How'd ye know that?"

"I can feel it. Shall we?"

"Of course."

They made to move but a voice stopped them, "Hagrid! The usual?"

Harry turned to see an old man who looked rather energetic behind the bar table. He was arranging a display of the glasses on the shelf. He smiled knowingly at Hagrid and then looked at Harry who was wearing his black cap back to front making his hair stick to his forehead.

Hagrid smiled, "Hogwarts' business, Tom. Taking young 'arry here to get his stuff."

The barman dropped a glass which shattered. His eyes bugged out and he stared at Harry as if there was a neon sign pointed at Harry saying, 'I'm paying you a hundred grand to look at me!'

"Merlin's white long beard! It's Harry Potter."

He rushed from his spot and wrung Harry's hand hard. "A pleasure to have you back, sir. A real honour to meet you!"

"Pleasure's all mine." Harry mumbled. Tom grinned wider. "So modest! I like him already! You're lucky you came in late, or you'd have been hogged by the crowd! Hippogriffs wouldn't have made a worse mess! There's always a spot open for you here, Mr. Potter. For you and your cousin, of course. He'll be going next year, right?"

"What?!" Harry asked flabbergasted. Cousin? Dudley wasn't a wizard. What was going on?

"Don't be surprised! I'll make sure you'll have a table after you're done buying you stuff. Off you go now!" Tom said gleefully.

Harry's head was reeling with a hundred more questions now.

Hagrid patted his shoulder and almost made his knees buckle.

"Daniel's comin' next year, Tom. But we'll take a table within an hour or two." Hagrid said and steered Harry towards the wall where there was a door. They got into a vacant room of sorts and Harry burst out, "Cousin? What did he mean? And who's Daniel?"

"Lon' story, 'arry. I'll explain everything after we come back for a bite. Now where's me umbrella?"

Harry stared as Hagrid took out his pink umbrella and felt something tingle from it.

"Why does the umbrella have magic in it?"

"Uh... classified information, 'arry."

Harry raised an eyebrow and watched silently as Hagrid tapped the slight portion of the wall where there were five bricks missing. He tapped thrice on the top and twice below. The bricks quivered. A partition came from the middle and the entire wall seemed to fold itself, the bricks turning as if on hinges. The opening was large enough for even Hagrid to go through easily. Harry managed to shut his mouth when he saw the street in front of him.

"Welcome." Hagrid said proudly. "Te Diagon Alley!"

The dramatic pause was well used. Harry almost couldn't believe it. There were shops lined up, wall to wall on either side with a few alleyways. Each shop was a mystery and Harry felt his tingling sensation going crazy.

There were a few people around the shops Madam Malkin's Robes and Dresses for all occasions. He turned and saw a shop for cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring - Collapsible said a sign hanging over them.

Harry saw a white owl from the entrance of Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown and Snowy. He stared at the owl who stared back, Hagrid noticed this and grinned.

"We need ter get ye money firs'. Gringotts' over there." He pointed at a huge white building at a distance. As they neared it, Harry frowned at the ground.

"Is it me, or does the ground sound hollow?" Harry asked. Hagrid looked at him in surprise.

"Gringott's have vaults far under the groun'. The deeper the vaults, more valuables they've got. Speakin' of which..."

Hagrid unconsciously patted his pocket and Harry had the feeling that there was something else other than Harry's trip in his mind.

They climbed up the steps to reach huge bronze double doors. Harry looked at what he thought was a Goblin. The small creature wore a gold and red uniform and stared coldly back at Harry probably to intimidate the human. Harry felt amused and nodded at the Goblin.

The doors opened by themselves and they went into another room like area were there were two Goblins with security like devices. They had a strange aura as if it wasn't the usual kind of magic.

As the goblins checked Hagrid's pockets with the long staffs, Harry read the words on the silver double doors.

_Enter stranger but take heed,_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed._

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

"Did you make it rhyme on purpose so that it would be engraved on even a child's mind?" Harry asked one of the goblins, who stared back at him and opened the doors for them to pass.

Hagrid said under his breathe, "Careful aroun' them, 'arry. They're smart and dangerous. You'd be mad to rob the place."

Harry looked at the high ceiling with a lavish chandelier. He stared at the high counters where many goblins sat doing there work of reading through scripts, arranging folders and even weighing precious stones. They went to the top most counter which was just above Hagrid's height. The Goblin looked the oldest and the name plate said 'Gornuk'. A few syllables in another tongue followed the name.

"Good mornin'. We wish to withdraw some contents from 'arry Potter's trust."

Harry had a feeling that someone must have told Hagrid to tell the sentence in that degree of respect. The goblin removed his glasses and leaned down to peer at Harry.

"And does Mr. Harry Potter have his key?"

The goblin's voice was clever and strict. Harry stared into the black eyes. There were no whites to his eyes.

"Ya. Got it righ' here." Hagrid rummaged through his coat. After turning over the seventh pocket he took out a small golden key.

The goblin examined the key and called, "Griphook!"

Another goblin came up to them and the main one gave him the key. Hagrid leaned and whispered something but Harry's keen sense of hearing caught every word, "Also, Headmaster Dumbledore gave this."

He handed a sealed envelope to Gornuk and muttered, "It's about You-Know-What in vault You-Know-Which."

Harry stared.

The goblin read the letter and said, "Very well." He turned to Griphook and said something in a strange language Harry had not heard of. They used the syllable 'glou' al lot.

Griphook said, "Follow me."

Harry and Hagrid were lead to another set of golden doors which led to, surprisingly, an underground cavern. At least, that was what it looked like. There were several tracks and one of them had a trolley. Even Hagrid could fit into it.

" We need to get to level Q." Griphook said.

Harry buckled on and Griphook touched a device at the back to the trolley which sped off at once. The speed was amazing. The trolley zoomed in what might have looked random directions but Harry noticed it seemed to be going mostly to the right. He memorised turning in case they got lost. They went a bit lower and then emerged to a higher level where there were stalactites and stalagmites on the ceiling and floor.

"How old is this system?" Harry asked the goblin who said, "Built before the founders of wizards and witches."

"And when was that?"

"Well before you were born, boy."

Harry frowned, "Well, I could have guessed that. Can we go faster, please?"

"One speed only."

Hagrid groaned. His face looked rather green. Harry looked worried but then the trolley stopped.

"Fund number 347." Griphook said getting out. He took a lantern and set it down and took out the key. Harry stared at the two story high vault door and felt the ironic state of how a tiny key just bigger than his little finger can unlock it.

There was a click followed by bigger noises of unlatching bolts and such before the door opened. Some green smoke came and Harry felt a pull in the direction of the vault. Not a magical pull, a physical one caused by the pressure change.

"How long has it been closed?" Harry asked.

"Ten years and five months." Griphook said and opened the door all the way for Harry to see a neat and vast collection of large gold coins, medium sized silver ones and smaller bronze ones. They were carefully packed in mounds and Harry noticed a definite partition of the treasure in two piles.

He leaned in and saw a glass wall between the two piles. Harry couldn't think of why that would be necessary unless one of the piles weren't for him. Harry thought back to Hagrid's words; his slip in words when he had been talking to the Dursleys, his cousin coming next year and a 'Daniel'.

Harry stared at the second pile and asked, "Hagrid? Do I have a cousin named Daniel who's coming next year and we share the Potter trust fund for Hogwarts?"

Hagrid gaped down at the boy, "How'd you know that?!"

"I figured it out. Where is he?"

"I... I'll tell ye later. After the shopping."

Harry frowned. He didn't like not knowing things but Hagrid seemed to be a good person and he must have had a reason for waiting. He sighed and asked Griphook, "What's the exchange rate between our money and muggle notes?"

"A galleon to six pounds."

Hagrid went to the first pile of coins and beckoned Harry closer while Griphook stood outside.

"The bronz' ones are knuts. 30 bronz' knuts teh a silver sickle and 18 sickles teh a gold galleon. Should be easy enef'. Take some in these differen' bags."

They took five minutes to sort out enough money, but then Harry stared a knut a little away from its pile. He stepped closer to it and picked it up feeling a small attachment. He turned over the coin. His eyes widened and he nearly dropped it.

"All done there, 'arry?" Hagrid said going to the edge of the vault and Harry said breathlessly, "Yeah."

He slipped the coin into his pocket. That was a keeper. He wondered whether he could put a lawsuit against the bank but then decided to read a few books on the Goblin/Wizard relations. There didn't seem to be much harmony.

They went into the trolley and went deep into the cavern system. Harry saw a burst of fire at one end and leaned out to see it, but Hagrid had pulled him back with a moan. The cold air started to feel uncomfortable when they finally stopped.

The vault was Hagrid's request, Harry had realized. Vault number 713 had no keyhole.

"Stand back." Griphook said and pressed his palm on a flat design. Harry felt the place become a bit warm and the door opened. He leaned into see what was in the top-secret vault buried miles under the ground.

Hagrid went in and took a small package. Aside from that, the place was empty.

Griphook closed the door and Harry asked, "May I see my family vault, please? Or do we need official permission for that?"

Griphook frowned and said, "In other circumstances, yes you need permission from the head of the family. But since you are the eldest in the family, holding the name Potter, you may."

Harry looked at Hagrid who sighed, "Alrigh'."

Harry climbed into the trolley in anticipation and they sped off again. He wasn't sure what to think about first. His cousin? The knut? His family vault? His family?

He almost didn't realise when they reached. The air was much colder and Harry zipped up his old black hoodie.

He could see only one vault door for some distance on either sides. The door was large and looked very old. There were ancient designs on the handles and this too had no key-hole.

"Place your hand here, Mr. Potter." Griphook indicated to the space below the right handle while the goblin pressed against the space below the left handle.

"Only the heir and a Gringotts Goblin are allowed to do that. Anyone else would be sucked inside."

"When do you check if there's someone inside?" Harry asked, feeling a heat wave through his right palm.

"Once in every ten years." Griphook said with a nasty smile. Harry wondered if they had actually found someone like that for him to be so happy.

The door opened with a jerk and Hagrid pulled it. The smoky smell made Harry cough. He looked into the vault.

The trust fund was a small piggy bank compared to this! There were galleons, sickles and knuts close to the door, but behind them, there were stones of every kind, simply spread across the floor. The pile came to the Griphook's height. Harry noticed another chamber from the doorway in the corner and went through it.

There were chests of gold around this room. He wondered what was considered even more precious than treasure of materialistic values.

"Am I entitled to open these chests?" Harry asked Griphook who was outside the vault with Hagrid.

"Yes."

Harry, his fingers shaking, opened the first one. He blinked.

"Clothes." He murmered. Royal clothes from what seemed like the 18 century. Folded neatly in stacks, they seemed to be fresh and new.

_Probably a charm_, Harry thought.

He tried the other chests and came with different results of staffs, old wands on cushions, jewellery and old books. Harry picked one up which said, 'Secrets of a Sorcerer's Core'.

He opened the thick book and stared at the author, 'Memphis Fateral.'

He put the book back in the chest and ran to Griphook.

"I want to take the chest of books. Is that possible?"

"Of course. It is yours after all. But you'll have to sign an Assertion of Vault Rights before you can take anything out of your vault."

It took nearly half an hour. The main goblin, Gornuk seemed to be satisfied to have some activity done with the old family vaults. Harry learnt of tedious procedures while following bank laws for muggles, but the goblins were clean and efficient and Harry now had a small leather skinned bag which contained the huge chest. When the goblin had shrunk the huge chest to fit into the pouch, he had not answered Harry's query of how the effect of air pressure and volume change of the chest is counter-balanced.

"Happy now?" Hagrid asked, a bit surly as they were a bit behind schedule. Harry nodded, taking out his knut to flip with his fingers.

"Robes over there. I need teh send a message teh Profess' Dumbledore to explain why the stuff's not done yet. Ya go in."

Harry nodded again and kept the bag close to him as he entered 'Madame Malkin's Robes For All Occassions'

"A first year?" A woman asked folding some black robes at the end of the shop. Harry said, "Yes, Ma'am."

"Just stand here." She gestured to the stool and Harry placed the pouch on the ground next to him. He was patient as her measuring tape checked the length of his sleeves and pants.

"At least one well behaved child! No one else can stand so quiet for more than 20 seconds. But are you sure you're well? You look rather pale, dear."

It's my natural colour." Harry said.

"You need more sun. Three black school robes, a winter cloak, dragon hide gloves, a hat... anything else? Do you need formal robes or a Scandinavian Scarf? They just came in. They have charms of revitalising warm air. It's different than a simple heat charm."

Harry thought. "What else do you have in your winter collection?"

Ten minutes later, he was being billed for all the clothes he had bought. Keeping in mind his Halloween ice condition, he now had sweaters, jackets, mufflers, scarves and gloves. All black, of course. He'd never wear any other colour.

Hagrid was waiting for him and he said, "Happy early birthday, Harry." He took out a large bird cage behind his back which had the same Snowy white owl, Harry had seen earlier in the shop.

Harry's expression didn't change. "For me?"

"Yup. She's a beauty, right?"

Harry nodded numbly and took the cage. The owl tilted her head as if gauging him.

"I'll hold these bags. Next shop."

They went from shop to shop and each shop keeper had decided to shrink the stuff they bought. The charm would reverse when Harry would take them out of the bags.

They got Harry, a size 2 pewter cauldron, a set of brass scales, basic long lasting storage vials of ingredients for a subject 'Potions', a small scale telescope for Astronomy and then Harry's books for school year. He also got a few reference books along the infamous 'Hogwarts: A History' book, which came for free for his bulk selections.

"I need a wand. It's the last on the list." Harry said as they exited Flourish and Blotts.

"Ollivanders' the best in England! I remember me own wand..." Hagrid's eyes went a bit glassy and Harry had to yell out so that he wouldn't crash into a sign for 'Patridwed's Pet Store'.

They went into a dark shop with the sign over head saying, 'Ollivanders' A single old wand lay on a purple cushion outside, very much like one of the family chests in Harry's vault.

The ring of the bell brought him back to the shop and Harry looked down to see the dust swirl around his feet and Hagrid's before settling down.

Hagrid sat down a rickety chair and Harry stared at the boxes of what must have been wands, lined up on the shelves from the bottom to the roof and on the ceiling too.

"Yes?" A voice said and Hagrid jumped. There was a crack and he got off the chair. Harry merely looked up.

"Ah. I knew I would be seeing you soon, Mr. Potter." An old man said. He climbed down the ladder with wheels. He had white hair and a wrinkled face and his eyes seemed to glaze through. Harry thought that he would be very interesting.

"I had no idea I would be seeing you, sir." Harry said and the man smiled.

"A smart aleck, huh. Holly."

Harry frowned. How was holly connected here?

"Let's see. Here you go." Mr. Ollivander took out a box from the shelf.

"Holly and unicorn tail, ten inches, flexible."

Harry took the wand carefully and gave it a wave. The boxes on row B were blasted out of their sheves. He kept back the wand carefully and the wand maker said, "No. Of course not. The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter.

"Holly and Maple leaf string. Twelve inches. Firm."

Harry waved the wand and braced himself. The glass vase exploded. Luckily, there were no flowers in it.

"No." Ollivander mumbled.

Harry tried seven more wands before the old man said, "You are cold aren't you? You need fire. Phoenix feather and holly, eleven inches. Rather nice and supple."

Harry took the black wand and sucked in a breath as the wand gave him warmth that filled him to the toes. He waved the wand and gold light spilled out which repaired everything in the shop.

Hagird whooped and clapped and the wandmaker nodded, "I should have know. No dragon heartstring or phoenix feather or any ingredient is from the same source. But we have an exception to everything and to this rule to. The phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another. Just one other. I think you know what became of that powerful wand, Mr. Potter."

Harry stared at him and nodded. He could see it in the man's eyes.

"And that wand is the wrong hands. But it is quite clear that you are destined for a great journey, Mr. Potter. Terrible fate. But a great journey, none the less."

* * *

**I'm out of time!**

**Hope you loved this chapter! Stay tuned.**

**Cabba.**


	4. A Whole New World

**Rinneko Tsukinomori**** – No, the story is not going to revolve around an OC. But, a few of them are connected to Harry. You'll learn more when you read this chapter.**

**Alexander Pierce**** – I tried to correct all the mistakes you pointed out. If I missed any, i'll get them soon. I hope this chapter is upto your mark!**

**RedRangerBelt – Daniel and Harry won't talk this year but keep guessing on how they'll react to each other. As for the great journey... well we're a bit early for that ;)**

**A.T.P – No, Daniel is completely different. The boy haunting the 3****rd**** house will be a mystery until Harry himself figures it out.**

**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**** - Welcome to my story! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Juli Beawr****, ****E J ect**** - Thanks for reviewing! **

**And thanks to everyone who put the story on fav lists and alerts! You won't be disappointed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to HP.**

**Words - 3861 **

* * *

Harry was silent as he watched Hagrid pay seven galleons for his wand and head out the shop.

"Jumpin' Gargoyles! 'arry, we 'ave to get food fer yer owl. I knew there wes somethin' missin'..." Hagrid exclaimed slapping his forehead with his palm.

It brought Harry out of his thoughts and he pocketed his wand on his right side. Since he had learnt to use his dagger mostly with his left hand, his wand, the second weapon Mum had talked about would be on his right. He had to learn how to hold his stance with both his wand and dagger now.

"In 'ere, 'arry." Hagrid said leading Harry into the pet store. While Hagrid asked for owl treats and normal rations per day, Harry took out his knut and started flipping it, listening to the resonating sound the coin made. It helped clear his mind and think better.

Suddenly, his movements faltered. Harry nearly dropped his coin as something called out to him from the depths of the shop. His breathe became a bit deep and he slowly walked to wards the dark interior. Hagrid's huge form covered him perfectly from the eyes of the keen shopkeeper.

He kept flipping the coin as he walked in partial darkness. Whatever was in there liked the sound as much as Harry did.

There was a small 'yelp'. Harry let out a breath as he saw a tiny figure under a shelf with old books.

"Shhh." Harry whispered and pocketed the knut.

He stretched out his hand and moved an old pot and saw a tiny thing quivering. It was smaller than his palm.

It wriggled its small body in Harry's palms and he stared at what he supposed was a dog. But dogs didn't come in this size. What was going on?

The tiny creature tried to get more warmth from Harry's body and for some reason Harry felt sad for the animal. He hadn't actually felt this level of compassion for a long time. He stroked the pale golden fur of the 'dog' and said, "You are a curious one. Mind me asking what you are?"

He held the dog close to his face. It licked his nose. Harry felt strange. As if this dog wasn't extraordinary enough, it was also making him feel ridiculously _happy._

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BOY_?" A voice shrieked and Harry turned to see the shopkeeper, her blonde hair flying from the untidy bun she had made. Her face was in shock and she stared at him as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Holding this...er...what is it?"

The lady stared at Harry as if she couldn't believe it.

"You... you are... alive?"

Harry decided not to grace her with the obvious.

The lady screamed. The animals in cages around the room started riling up and the little dog in Harry's hands tried to snuggle up closer to him.

She rushed up to him and hugged the flabbergasted boy and said, "Finally! It's been so long! Where is Delia? She's disappeared hasn't she, which means her young one is yours to keep!"

"I do not understand." Harry mumbled slowly.

Hagrid stared at the situation and said, "Better send a letter teh Dumbledore. But he might already know."

"Will someone please explain what is happening here?" Harry demanded.

"You just found you're familiar! Oh, thank goodness! Merlin, I would've thought that the right person would never have come!"

"My familiar?"

"That's the informal word. What I mean is that the dog is now your constant companion mainly because it is linked to you in a very sub-conscious level. You are to take it –"

"Really, I can keep him?" Harry asked. He now understood why the small dog had called him.

"You have too! Or you can settle him, somewhere where the both of you are comfortable."

"No! I'll keep him!" Harry said and the tiny dog licked his cheek.

"Wonderful! You can get books for more on the topic from Flourish and Blotts! You can get them for free! You are the third one this century to have a familiar!" The lady said excited ushering them to the front of the shop.

"Thank you." Harry said and accepted the owl treats for his owl. The lady gave him a coupon for her shop saying that he could come at any time for food for his owl and dog.

"By the way, what's your name? I need to owl to Dumbledore." She asked smiling.

Hagrid intervened sensing Harry's hesitance, "Don't worry. Going there anyway afte' sometime. I'll tell him."

"Oh, okay!"

Harry noticed his owl staring cunningly at the tiny dog in his hand and said, "No, it's not food. Look, we bought you some. Besides, there's a forest, right behind the house, there'll be lots of stuff there."

The owl ruffled her feathers a bit haughtily.

Harry and Hagrid went into The Leaky Cauldron and Tom was smart enough to rise too much of an alarm to let the others know.

"A late lunch, the usual amount for me and 'arry. Yeh 'aven't eaten lunch, 'ave yeh?" Hagrid asked Harry who shook his head at the emptiness in his stomach. He could withstand his hunger for a few more hours, but Mum would never approve of it. Tom smiled a bit too heartily at Harry and nodded.

"Will you please tell me everything now, Hagrid?" Harry pleaded. They were in a slightly closed booth and Harry had a feeling that each booth had spells to prevent eavesdropping and sneaking.

Hagrid sighed. " Alright. Yer dad had a brother. Twin brother, mind yeh. Really opposites. Yer Dad was a bit outdoorsy like yer Mum. All that girl stuff, that was Lily. Yer uncle was the quieter and youn'er one. He was in Ravenclaw."

"Ravenclaw?" Harry asked curious.

"That's a house name. Hogwarts got four, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Gryffindor's for brave ones, Ravenclaw's for all the smart ones, Hufflepuff's all the ones who stick together and can work real hard and Slytherin's the cunning ones. Real sneaky, those lot."

"Snakes?" Harry mused and Hagrid nodded, "Yeah, that's their mascot. So your dad, James was in Gryffindor and his brother, Jacob was in Ravenclaw. Your uncle became Head-Boy in Seventh year and yer Mum was Head-Girl. They were all thick friends. Lots of adventures and such. Then again, Hogwarts is never normal."

"Perfect for me, then."

"Well, yer Dad and Uncle were identical. Just like their dad, too. Kinda like the Weasely twins. Yer Mum was sweet and she and yer Dad fought a lot. But it was just arguing. Then Mel was there too."

"Who?"

"Melody Gritman. She was Daniel's mother –"

"Was?" Harry's heart sank. Hagrid looked close to tears and he dug into his lunch.

"Yeah, they were all happy at Hogwarts. Some drama and all, but the war became real when start of their sixth year James and Jacob got a letter saying that Senior Potters were dead."

Hagrid was silent and Harry asked, "War?"

"Harry see, there was this wizard who went real bad. I mean, as bad as yeh could go. Worse. Worse than worse. And his name was V..."

Hagrid shuddered as if the name was too much for him. "His name was Vo..."

"May be if you wrote it down." Harry suggested softly. His little dog moved inside the pocket and Harry dropped a few bits of his food into it.

"Can't spell it. Alright. I'll say it just this once. _Voldemort_."

"_Voldemort_?" Harry repeated and Hagrid shushed him.

"Yeah, but don' let people hear yeh. Where was I? Yeah, yer Mum's parents also died. Yer Aunt Petunia (Hagrid scowled at her name) blamed everything on Lily. And Lily wouldn't talk to anybody for a month till James got through to her. Yer Mum was muggleborn, means that parents were muggles. That's why she was a target."

"Then why was my Dad's family attacked? I mean, they were wizards for a long time, right? I saw the vault, Hagrid."

"'arry it was dark times. Everyone who didn't side with 'im was against 'im. You-Know-Who killed all 'is enemies, Harry."

Harry was silent and then he said, "You-Know-Who? That isn't very original."

"'arry, it's not funny! They had to choose. Either they were on his side or they weren't. His followers, Death-Eaters were merciless. Killed everything they got their hands on."

Harry glared at his food. "He didn't like muggles?"

"Didn't like anything that was below him. 'e thought muggles were not good. He killed all muggleborns and gave them choices to live and serve him only to Purebloods and Half-bloods."

"How did the war end?"

"He...he thought that the Potters had a secret to get rid of him for good. At least, that's what I think."

"Why the Potters?" Harry asked looking up his half-eaten lunch.

"Yeh see, they were real close to Dumbledore..." Hagrid was getting uncomfortable.

"How close?"

"Dumbledore's actually related to yeh. Yer great great great...uh, well I don't know how many greats, but something grandfather."

Harry blinked. Okay, Daniel and now Albus Dumbledore. This day just kept getting more and more weird.

Hagrid continued, wanting to get over, "So that Halloween night, I mean you and Rose –"

"Who?" Harry asked. Hagrid groaned.

"Just imagine a small member of your family, Rose –"

"Who's Rose, Hagrid?" Harry asked feeling a sense of trepidation.

"Sister." Hagrid mumbled and stuffed another bite of his lunch, looking everywhere but Harry.

There was kind of explosion in Harry's stomach.

"Where is she?" Harry asked, breathing hard.

"With yer Mum and Dad." Hagrid said in such a low voice that Harry almost missed the words.

The young boy sat back feeling as if he had been to hell and back. The Percy in his head hoped that his sister was maybe visiting his parents' graves, but the rest of the brain stamped him out.

Harry pushed away his plate looking paler than usual, which was something of a miracle.

"He went to yer house after leaving yer cousin's and... " Hagrid blew his nose and sighed.

" 'arry, The point is that whoever You-Know-Who decided to kill, ended up dead within weeks. Except for a few who was strong enough to escape him –"

"And Wosie couldn't escape him, right?" Harry asked bitterly. Hagrid looked at him in shock.

"I used to call her that. I remember that. She dumped her breakfast on my head that morning." Harry said. The owl hooted and nipped his hair. Harry looked at her, feeling a bit better.

"How am I alive? And Daniel? You said he went to his house too." Harry asked.

"Mel pushed 'im into the fireplace and flooed 'im to 'ogwarts. Then she destroyed it." Hagrid said looking at a spot on the wall.

"Fireplace?"

"It's a way of travelling fer us. 'e almost suffocated but still, 'e's alive; that's the main thin'. But yeh. No one knows. When You-Know-Who went into yer house, when 'e tried to kill yeh, something happened and he vanished. I don't thing 'es dead, just out there waiting to get another chance."

"He couldn't kill me?" Harry asked slowly. "I was just a year old. If he could kill a small girl without any remorse, why didn't he just finish me off?"

"I don't know, 'arry. He disappeared and the war ended with that. But that's how yeh got that scar. Yeah, everyone knows about it. That's why everybody knows yer name. That's why we call yeh the boy-who-lived."

Harry stared and then said, "The boy-who-lived? Nothing is real, here! What's Voldemort's real name?"

Hagrid flinched, "I dunno..."

"Well 'Voldemort' is a pseudonym. Mort means 'death' in French. This word can also be said as 'flight of death'. His followers are called Death-Eaters! Is he scared of death? Does he plan on living forever?"

"Everybody dies 'arry. There's no spell that can bring someone back teh life. I dunno about dark magic, but..."

"I'll find out what his real name is. I bet it's something common and muggle-like that he hates."

The owl let out a hoot and hid her head under her wing. Harry noticed that his familiar was fast asleep. He needed to give them names.

"Where's Daniel? Are we going to meet him, now?" Harry asked, still filled with energy. Hagrid looked surprised, "We're not goin'. 'e's in an orphanage, somewhere in London."

Harry let out a breath, "Why is he in an orphanage?"

" 'e 'ad no other relatives. Livin', that is." Hagrid said leaning back against the wooden wall.

"What am I? A rabbit in a hole? I'm alive, Hagrid! Why weren't we sent to live together? Instead, why didn't Dumbledore take us in?"

"I dunno, 'arry. But it's getting late. I have to get yeh back. Dumbledore needs to see his...uh..."

Hagrid patted his breast pocket were Harry remembered the package from vault 713 was. Hagrid amended his sentence, "...he'll be seeing to see me. I'll drop yeh at the station, yeh said yeh can go from there to yer house. Wait, before that. Ere's yer ticket fer The 'Ogwarts Express on 1st of September. Yeh need it teh get teh Kings Cross."

Hagrid handed him a thick golden train ticket. The number of the platform jumped out at him.

"Hagrid? How do I get to Platform Nine and Three quarters?" Harry asked.

"It's between nine and ten, 'arry." He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. He had to scream out tonight. His owl and dog would love the sight of the cliff.

"No, I meant, how is it connected to...uh... Hagrid?" Harry looked around. Hagrid was no where in sight. He was alone on the street outside the pub, with a school trunk, an owl in a cage, a pouch of wizard money and the tiniest dog in the world.

Harry sighed and stomped back inside to ask Tom.

* * *

It was close six, when Harry rang the door bell. The door opened and Dudley's face popped out. He screamed when he saw Harry's face and shut the door in the wizard's face.

Harry let out another steamed breath and dragged the trunk around the wall to the maple tree. With the tree's help he got inside his room. He placed his hand on the door and said, "Open."

The bolt which had been locked on the outside slid open for him and he went out of his room and down the stairs. He knocked on the door to the kitchen which opened to reveal his aunt's face. She shrieked, nearly broke his eardrums and slammed the door so hard that the top half of the door which was glass broke and fell on him.

Harry had fortunately shut his eyes just in time, though.

He whispered a few choice words and concentrated hard. He felt the glass pieces leave his form and heard a crackling sound. Then he pushed open the door to see the Dursleys cowering.

"Hi." He said only to rile them up. It worked.

"Don't worry, I had a late lunch. I shan't need dinner. Just wanted to know, how much of wizards did you know and not tell me?"

"Stay away from us." Uncle Vernon hissed and pointed an iron poker from the fireplace in his direction. Harry sighed, "Fine. I was just curious. Anyway, I just discovered that I have another cousin, Daniel. Did you know about him or –"

Uncle Vernon's face turned purple and Harry said, "Right, I'll just go up to my room."

Harry hadn't exactly talked much to his uncle for three years. Having avoided the man as much as he could especially since he received a double promotion again, last year, they thought that Harry had sneaked into the minds of the teaching staff and corrupted their brains into giving him the promotion. That being the main reason for the shift in schools to put him down in the community had not been a fool-proof plan. Harry pitied Dudley for having such a father.

"At least he has a father." A snide voice came from his right and Harry turned to face his mirror.

"Shut up."

"Do you notice that, that's what you always tell me?"

Harry glared at his reflection and sat down on his bed. He opened his owl's cage so that she could stretch her wings when she woke up. Although, how the owl and dog slept through the screaming, Harry'll never know. He decided to occupy himself with his books, starting with Hogwarts: A History.

* * *

The month was slow and Harry marked down each day in his head. He named his owl Hedwig after a witch in Alaska who had travelled to Arabia to improvise on Flying Carpets.

'_...Medney Hedwig lived upto 176 years before succumbing to Dragon Pox. Her fortune was funded to the Arabian locals who she had called 'family' and though, flying carpets were banned in 1798, 36 years after her death, the Middle East country holds her name in high esteem. As high as they're are allowed to fly_.'

"Hedwig. That's a nice name, right girl?" He said stroking her feathers as she pecked him in his fingers. He liked her personality. Whenever he did something quite out of bounds like staying up late a night or jumping from his window or running faster than the wind, she'd cuff him on the head with her wings and send him a disapproving glare.

It was probably her maternal nature coming out.

He named his familiar Bolt. Since the tiny spaniel like dog kept licking his scar as if to clean it away, Harry thought that Bolt would like his name.

A few days later though, while he was giving him a bath, a voice said in his head. "Not too hard!"

Harry jumped, whipped out his wand in his right hand and clutched his dagger in his left hand as he stared around in the clearing next to the river.

Hedwig flew to Harry's shoulder and pecked him on the head and stretched her wing towards the soaking wet dog which shook its fur so wildly that Harry and Hedwig somehow found themselves drenched completely.

"Did you just talk?" Harry asked gobsmacked. Bolt's ear fell and Harry heard the same voice, "Of course, I did. I have to start talking some day!"

Harry pocketed his wand and kept back Skothos.

"You are a girl." He said slowly. Bolt huffed, "Of course I am! What you thought I was something like that whale in your house?"

"Dudley? Well, no. But you are a she. Alright this is a bit awkward."

"Please! You can't just assume that something's a boy. That's sexist! You're smarter than other others. You of all people should have realised especially since you are my human!"

"Uhuh. Okay. Um...I suppose Bolt is an alright name for you."

"I love the name!"

"Okay, Bolt. Will you let me dry you?"

"I can do that by myself!"

The tiny dog ran into Harry. Literally ran into Harry. The moment she touched his body, she disappeared and Harry clutched his head.

"What are you doing in my head?! Get out!"

"Fine."

She jumped out of the back of his neck and made herself comfortable on his other shoulder. She yawned and said, "I can't wait for Hogwarts. Neither can Hedwig. She says that staying in that tiny room for five hours is frustrating. If the forest hadn't been there she would have gone bonkers."

Harry glared at his spaniel.

"I'm wet!"

"You brought a towel, didn't you? Don't be such a baby, just dry yourself off."

Harry kept up murmurs of how familiars were the most annoying things in the world.

* * *

Nature. That was his Core magic. All the plants, trees, and everything with chlorophyll and crotons responded to him because he represented the Wizard symbol of Nature of the present age.

'_...Core magic is what defines wizards from muggles. Every witch or wizard has a deep connection to the ever changing situation on our planet. There are several groups of Core magic such as physical, elemental, psychological and others._

_Elemental is said to be the basis of Core magic. Those who represent the four main elements appear only during times of need. Sub-elementals such as a slight combination of the two consist another power to balance the magic in them. This power is shielding. The person can create mental or physical shields using his core magic and can create several layers depending on the situation which gives him the adrenaline..._'

"See! It says '...gives him the adrenaline.'! This world is banking too much on the males and that will cause the fall of Earth!" Bolt said as she read the paragraph along with Harry.

Harry sighed, "I'm elemental, aren't I?"

"Of course. Last I checked, plants are part of the world and can grow without human interference."

'_...physical Core magic abstain from the outer world and these wizards rely thoroughly on themselves to sustain their magic. The strongest of wizards usually have psychological Cores as they can easily manipulate their enemies, if any, and cause their downfall._

_But in the war against Grindelwald, which ended in 1945, Albus Dumbledore, whose Core magic was revealed to be 'Light' itself banded with other wizards of elementals to overcome Gellert Grindelwald's Psychological Core. For this, he received the Order of Merlin, First Class and thus had his status on Chocolate Frog Cards._

_As the age old saying goes, "Elements tend to band together."..._'

Harry heard flapping sounds and turned to the window from where Hedwig could be seen. She landed on her perch, that he had kept next to the window and Harry immediately kept his book aside and asked her, "Can you find someone without their address?"

Hedwig hooted and Bolt said, "Yes, she can. It would take a bit longer and depends on whether the person is a witch or muggle."

"Neither. Daniel's a wizard. I have no clue which orphanage in London, but if you can find him..."

Hedwig stretched out her leg and Harry used a tag from the Emporium to tie the long letter he had written to his cousin.

"I don't know how long it will take because tomorrow's the first of September and I'll be on the train after eleven in the morning. So if you do find him, I'll be on my way to Scotland." Harry asked a bit worried.

Hedwig looked annoyed and cuffed her wing against her head.

"She says, ' of course I can, you dimwit! I know your aura and can find you just as easily as your cousin!' I like her. She knows how to handle you." Bolt said and ignored Harry's glare.

"Alright then, Goodluck." Harry said and Hedwig seemed to say that 'I don't need the luck, you do.'

Harry watched her go and sat back on his bed.

"It's going to be a long day tomorrow, Harry. Try and get some sleep." Bolt said yawing and she jumped on his chest and he lay down and turned off the lights...

* * *

**A bit scattered, but I wrote what I felt best.**

**Next update - the letter and the journey!**

**Stay tuned!**

**Cabba.**


	5. The Journey

**He he he!**

**Juli Beawr – No. Daniel's Mum is not Athena. I mentioned it that his mother is a witch and dead. Melody Gritman. The first written conversation between Harry and Daniel is in this chapter. I like your enthusiasm!**

**E J ect – Yes, the Harry in my story is smart enough to figure out some of the things and I'll be helping you to go into his head.**

**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx – No, unfortunately, Harry and Percy will not have any sort of communication for at least three more years. I have it mapped out in my head. Don't worry.**

**Rinneko Tsukinomori – Yes, Daniel and Rose are the OCs. Harry's more independent and yes, Bolt and Hedwig will team up against Harry at times.**

**RedRangerBelt – Yes, Daniel's younger by a year. Their conversation is in this chapter. Yes, the prophecy will come sooner than expected and Harry and Dumbledore will have a heart-to-heart discussion on family matters (get the sarcasm?) How old is Dumbledore? Well, you'll find out!**

**Alexander Pierce – I corrected the mistakes (FYI, CtrlF does not fix mistakes, it finds words of our choice) I used spell checked the doc. I don't think there are any errors this time. Oh come on! Harry was transferred to StoneWall High for the Dursleys comfort of making sure that Harry didn't make friends. No other reason. Yes, Harry is in grade ten, but they didn't care. Core Magic will be explained more at Hogwarts. Don't worry. I've had that idea since the release of the fifth HP movie!**

**Thank you to the anonymous reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP and its related works. JKR does. (Amazing person, that woman…)**

**Words – 4168**

* * *

_To Daniel Jacob Potter,_

_This letter is real. The following words are true. The writer (me) is real. And the world as you know it is about to change._

_A bit dramatic, but I've written the truth. _

_I am Harry James Potter. I'm older than you, by ten months. I know that you are shocked and probably won't believe me, but as I said, these words are true. I myself came to know just a month ago and was unsure of how to send you this letter as I am unaware of the address of your location._

_You are exactly ten years and three months old. You were born on 17__th__ May, 1998. Your parents were Jacob Harold Potter and Melody Rosalie Potter ne` Gritman. Jacob had an older twin brother, James Charles Potter and his wife Lillian Wendy Potter ne` Evans, who was my parents._

_The truth is deep and dark for us and the reason why we live lives of lies is best not to be written on paper. _

_But if there are events that happen around you that cannot be summarized in small meaningless excuses or things that you can do which may seem unexplainable, then you are the Daniel who am I am writing to._

_You are not crazy, nor are you going mad. You simply belong in a world stranger than the one around you._

_There are a thousand people like us and the probability of us meeting within a year is 1._

_Reply to calm my nerves and ensure that you have read the letter._

_Sincerely,_

_HJP._

* * *

Harry woke up to darkness when he felt someone nudging his head softly but in a firm manner. He jerked up and switched on the light. There was a familiar hoot and he immediately grabbed for his glasses to see Hedwig by his hair, upside down.

Harry turned to the old repaired alarm clock which said 5:25. The sky was dark and he sat up to hear Bolt yelp as she fell on his lap. She gave him a tiny glare. (Her face was tiny, not the glare.)

"You got the letter? You do fly faster than I thought. Sorry I underestimated you, girl."

Hedwig stretched out her leg proudly to offer him his letter, the first of the many she would deliver.

Harry stared at the muggle envelope with anticipation and carefully opened it to get an untidy piece of paper with an equally untidy style of writing.

_To HJP_

_It's the middle of the night! Who the heck writes letters and send owls to deliver them at 1 in the morning? You are crazy! Make sure you're not sleepwalking next time you decide to wake up a complete stranger!_

_My world, as much as I hate or love it, is the one for me. _

_If you didn't know where I live, how on earth did you send the letter? _

_You are a Spy! How do you know how old I am or when I was born or who my parents were if you didn't know anything about me before? Even I didn't know who my parents were!_

_If Jacob and James were twins, how is one of them older? That doesn't make any sense!_

_Lives of Lies? I thought you were a kid with a pet owl and loads of time to kill! Are you some 555 year old grandfather with amnesia?_

_How the bloody hell do you know what happens around me? You don't know who I am!_

_I know I am not crazy! You are the one who's mad!_

_If you want to meet me, then why do you sound happy when the probability (whatever that is!) is 1? The odds look really down._

_The reason I'm replying is because the letter is to calm your nerves down and let you move on. _

_Another reason is that I am probably dreaming._

_And your bird is damn cool._

_DJP._

Okay. That wasn't so bad. Harry had expected stronger words of retaliation. But he was sure that this was his cousin. Although, the fact that Daniel thought that what happens around him is a hallucination, is bad.

He probably shouldn't have sent it in the night. He'd have to explain more about Magic.

Harry frowned when he read that Daniel didn't know anything about Jacob and Melody. He didn't want his cousin to grow up in the same situation as he did.

He had to explain 'twins' to him.

Harry knew that he writing was a bit formal, but it wasn't that old-fashioned, was it?

He had to explain what 'probability' was.

Harry relaxed a bit when he realized that Daniel replied to calm Harry down even though the former didn't know the latter. It showed a good personality behind the slightly frantic one.

Or maybe the words looked frantic because of the number of exclamation marks. There were also a few grammatical mistakes in the letter. His reply was going to be long.

Harry turned to look at Hedwig who was fast asleep. He decided to send the next letter after she was fully rested.

Taking out his newly inaugurated quill, he started on a fresh piece of parchment.

* * *

The shrinking charm was really handy. His mother's guitar was in its trunk which was shrunken to the size of a match box and carefully kept below his clothes in his on trunk. Harry had packed everything and was staring at Bolt who tried to balance his quill on her nose.

He got up and said, "Come on, Bolt. It's time to leave."

"Thank Merlin!" She cried and leapt up to give the quill to Harry. She then jumped into him. Harry winced at the feeling. When he felt her settling at the edge of his mind, he thought, '_Could you reduce the harshness of the combining effect_?'

"You'll get used to it in another month or so".

Harry sighed and stood in front of the mirror. He pressed down his bangs over his fore head and then wore the cap on it his usual way. Back to front. He made sure that his scar was completely veiled before adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

Satisfied by this, he wore his black jacket, specially selected by the assistant in Madame Malkin's. It had the words, "I maybe small, but so are Winspins." on the back.

Winspins were tiny porcupine like creatures which had poison shooting needles. Their white fur which gave sufficient camouflage for their needles made them look like small rabbits.

The lady had said that his pale skin reminded her of them and thought the jacket looked cute on him.

He just liked it because of the colour and the reference to Winspins.

"You look like a vampire." Harry's reflection said.

"Shut up."

Harry picked up his trunk and owl cage and dragged them down the stairs letting the heavy trunk bang on each step.

He reached the front door and shouted, "I'm leaving!"

He heard something very less polite shouted back at him as he closed the door.

Harry felt a light chest as he wheeled his trunk towards the bus stop at the end of the street. He ignored the strange looks from passersby and got on the bus.

The conductor frowned at Harry's luggage but shrugged it away after Harry paid for the ticket.

He stared out the window the whole time thinking about what Mum would say. He wasn't scared of what she would think. She had never shown even once that she was disgusted by him. So now, why would she turn him away?

A small part of Harry wondered if Percy had got the Hogwarts letter too. Though Mum had hinted that they were from different worlds, she hadn't confirmed it. Neither had she denied it.

He sighed frustrated. If there was one person who could confuse him, it was Mum. He would make sure that no one else got the advantage over him. He wanted to know how many people would like him for he was. He was quite sure that being Harry Potter would include truckloads of trouble. It would be nice to have someone who would treat him like an equal.

By the time the bus stopped for him to get down, Harry had started to desperately wish that Percy was going to Hogwarts too.

He got down and went to platforms nine and ten. Lugging heavy trunk towards the main pillar between the two platforms, he leaned to give an impression of tiredness. When a group of men with business suits had walked by, Harry had disappeared…

… and reappeared on a platform very far away from where he was.

He looked up at the large clock above him which told him that the time was 10:43 a.m. He didn't count on being so late. But the main part was that Hogwarts Express was in front of him. He looked around to see thick crowds of people wearing robes bidding farewells to all their children.

At least the students were wearing normal muggle clothes. Harry would have felt out of place if they had already changed into school robes.

He dragged his trunk into the load compartment and easily hoisted it in a good spot. Hedwig hooted and Harry let her out of her cage. Bolt peeked out from his jacket pocket and looked around happily.

He climbed onto a carriage and looked at everyone on the platform. Spurts of fire kept erupting from a small boy's box and his mother chided him for bringing their family pet along. A group of girls were huddled around a good-looking boy with looks of adoration on their faces. A group of red-heads burst from the entrance pillar looking as though they had run a marathon. A boy who was soaking wet chased an older girl who was probably his sister. The girl laughed and easily ducked around a pillar.

Harry looked down when Bolt jumped and landed on the ground. There was a toad next to his shoes, looking interested in his laces.

"He's lost." Bolt said and patted the toad on its back.

Harry picked up the large toad and said, "Can you find his owner?"

Bolt nodded and disappeared into thin air. Harry let a breath, frowning. He didn't know she could do that.

After sometime, Bolt reappeared on his shoulder and said, "He's in the station, but his aura keeps fading and then reappearing as if he unsure of his own magic. It must be a chronological disorder. His Core feels good though. He just needs some external influence. But with his fluctuating magic around large crowded places, there is too much activity to locate him. It's actually a good method to hide from people."

"In other words, you can't find him." Harry summarized and Bolt growled.

The train gave a blast of whistle and the people started rushing in the carriages. Harry immediately slipped into the nearest empty one deciding to find the owner after the train started moving. He stared out side and the train jerked and started moving. The toad jumped out of Harry's hands and hopped outside the window.

"Hey!"

Harry leaned out and saw the toad hopping on top of the train towards the front. Harry frowned. How it get up there? They were close to the back. He admired the toad's wit. Harry went out his compartment to see the corridors still crowded. No way would he be able to get out of this carriage.

"Trevor will find him." Bolt reassured Harry as the boy closed the partial glass door and sat back down.

"Hmm." Harry leaned against the soft back rest and Bolt jumped into him. It wasn't so bad as usual.

The train picked up speed as it wound itself out of the station to go through open fields. Harry looked at Hedwig and said, "I have another letter for Daniel". He tied the letter to her leg and watched as she flew in the opposite direction of the train. He would give her a good amount of treats when she got back.

The open window gave Harry lots of wind and he closed his eyes for a few minutes.

He had his thoughts focused on the book, 'Quidditch through the ages.' There were light footsteps which stopped outside his compartment and Harry looked at the red-headed boy who had been about to knock on the door. He slid open the door and hesitated before asking, "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

Harry stared at him. He was tall and gangly with freckles on his face. His blue eyes were quite prominent against his flame-red hair. He drummed his fingers nervously against the door. He had an aura which was shielded a bit thinly. Harry knew that if a wizard chose to shield his Core from others, the other people wouldn't know his about his magic. But if Harry could feel his aura, then it was possible that the boy was an elemental too.

"Um…I guess I'll –" He began when he started to feel uncomfortable, but Harry decided that the boy was alright in his sense and said, "No, you can sit here. I don't have any other company."

The red-head faltered a bit but then sighed and came into the compartment, closing the door. He sat opposite to Harry and muttered, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Harry said. He realized that he was making the boy a bit out of place. Percy had said that he didn't have much people skills, so Harry decided to look out the window.

He heard the boy let out a breath of relief.

They were silent for sometime before the boy said, "I'm Ron Weasely."

Harry looked at him in surprise. Ron looked as if he was ready to run if Harry didn't say anything so the latter asked, "Do you have twin siblings?"

Ron looked startled, "Yeah! How do you know?"

"Hagrid told me."

"Oh. You know Hagrid? I thought you were a muggleborn." Ron said staring at him.

"I was raised by muggles, but I'm not a muggleborn. Would there have been a problem if I was?" Harry asked suspiciously. Ron blinked. "Of course not! I wouldn't have a problem with that! Why would I have a problem with that? No, it's just that I felt that I might have met you somewhere. You look familiar."

Harry frowned, "No, I don't remember meeting you, Ron."

"Oh. It's just that. I thought…well…maybe…uh…what's your name?"

"Harry."

Ron waited but Harry asked, "Everyone in your family is a wizard. I saw you coming into the platform all at once."

"We were running late, as usual." Ron said, his cheeks going red.

Harry looked curious, "How many are there in your family?"

"Um…nine in our family. Then my Mum's little sister's family. Speaking of which, have you seen a black haired boy a bit shorter than me?"

Harry stared at Ron and said slowly, "Can you give any other attributes to this missing person? Otherwise the answer is yes. Me."

Ron blushed, "er…he's an elemental and has dark green eyes…uh…"

"The answer is still me."

"His name's Neville. I didn't see him in the station." Ron said trying not to look at Harry.

"That's wrong. The sentence should be, 'I didn't see him _at_ the station.' " Harry said and Ron stared at him.

"Um…yeah. He's my cousin and I was wondering if you saw him."

Harry shook his head, "I didn't. He'll be on the train elsewhere. Is he a first-year too?"

"Yes." Ron nodded feeling a bit better at the conversation. The door slid open and an elderly woman looked inside. She smiled and asked, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

"No, thanks. I'm all set." Ron said taking a package of sandwiches.

Harry remembered that he hadn't any breakfast save for the orange. It wouldn't do for him to eat sweets as breakfasts but he saw one of the boxes saying, 'Sugarless Vipers!'

He dug out a few sickles and said, "I'll take a few."

He took some Sugarless Vipers, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, Canary Creams and other kinds he had never heard of. He had a feeling that Bolt was urging him to get most of them.

Ron stared at him, "Hungry are you?"

"Not much, but I've not heard of them. What better time to try them?" Harry sat down and spilled the sweets next to him. He looked up to see Ron staring at the Chocolate Frogs. He tossed one to the surprised boy.

"I don't need all of them. You have to help me finish them off." Harry said nonchalantly picking up the Sugarless Vipers.

"Thanks." Ron mumbled pocketing his sandwiches.

"Mum packed corn-beef. I don't exactly like them and neither does Scabbers, so…" Ron opened his Frog which jumped and hopped around the compartment for a few seconds before falling on his lap.

"Are they real?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"It's just a charm. Quite edible and tasty. Besides, it's the cards you need! Each Frog's have cards about famous wizards and witches. I got about five hundred of them."

Ron took out a stiff card in the shape of a regular pentagon, "Bathilda Bagshot. There aren't many of hers…"

Harry looked at Ron's jacket pocket to see a grey whiskery nose stick out.

"That's Scabbers." Ron said taking out a rat a bit bigger than the size of his palm. "He's completely useless."

"He looks rather old." Harry said staring at the rat and opening his box of Vipers. The top sprang out and the sweet-sour stocks were wriggling like snakes.

"Is this a charm too?" Harry asked uncertainly. Ron nodded.

The door slid open to reveal a tearful looking boy, "Ron!"

Ron grinned, "Hey, Neville. I've been looking for you. I mean I was."

"I lost Trevor again!" The black-haired boy said sadly.

Ron sighed and Harry looked up, "That toad was yours?"

"You've seen him?"

"Before the train started, he slipped from my hands, though. Sorry about that." Harry said.

"It's okay. He always gets away from me." Neville said dolefully and Harry asked, "Why, though? If he wants to go around for sometime then let him. If he comes back to you, then there's no need to panic. But if he doesn't come back, then maybe he just wants to escape."

"He comes back." Neville said.

"Then why are you worried? Have a sweet." Harry tossed a Canary Cream to Neville who looked shocked at being invited so easily.

"Thanks." Neville sat next to Ron who patted his shoulder. Harry looked at the duo. Though, they were cousins, he didn't actually see much similarity except for their ears which were prominent and sticking out a bit.

He noticed that their ears went red when they realized that Harry was looking at him and to reduce the nervousness, he said, "I'm Harry."

"Hi, I'm Neville." The flustered boy said and ate his Canary.

"How are you related?" Harry asked munching on the Viper. "Our mothers are sisters." Neville answered meekly.

Ron, to take the spotlight away from Neville (who clearly dislike it) said, "George taught me a spell. Wanna see it?"

"What makes you think it isn't a dud?" Neville asked half-smiling.

Ron shrugged and took out his wand. It was old and chipped in places. There was something glinting at the tip.

"Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway, Sun –"

The door slid open yet again to reveal a bushy-haired girl in her Hogwarts Robes. She had a slightly tanned skin, brown eyes and large front teeth which were rather immaculate. She looked a bit haughty, but she stared at Neville who blushed, "Neville! I was searching for Trevor. What are you doing here?"

"Uh… Harry told me that whatever happens, happens for the best?" He said it like a question.

The girl looked at Harry and Ron and his upraised wand.

"You're doing magic! Let's see it then."

She stood expectantly by the door. Ron cleared his throat and said, "_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow_!"

He pointed his wand at Scabbers who had half his body in a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans box. There was a small flash and it flew over the girl's head and smacked the opposite window. She wrinkled her nose, picked up the box and threw it back to Ron.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not a very good one is it? I tried a few for myself and they worked for me. Nobody in family's magic and it was such a surprise when I got my letter. I'm glad I'm accepted into Hogwarts. It seems to be the best school in Magical Education. I read every book necessary to prepare myself for Hogwarts and I hope it's enough. It's important to believe in preparing for the near and distant future, don't you think? I'm Hermione Granger."

She this very fast and without an intake of breathe. Holding out her hand to Ron, the latter turned red and shook her hand and muttered, "Ron Weasely."

She turned expectantly to Harry who shook her hand firmly contemplating her zeal for books, "I'm Harry."

Hermione stared at inquisitively and then turned to Neville, "If you do find your toad, it'll probably be after we reach. Nearly everyone keeps going around the train searching for Harry Potter.

Ron and Neville gave a great start.

"Is he on the train? Did they find him?" Ron asked. Harry noticed that it wasn't in an awed or fan-type voice but one of desperation. As if Ron and Harry were long lost brothers.

"Bet they were Slytherin." Ron muttered. Hermione frowned, "I think they were first-years. I know Slytherins are considered stereo-typically bad. But maybe not all are. What house do you think you'll be in?"

Ron shrugged, "I wanna get into Gryffindor like the rest of my family. They won't mind if I go into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, but Slytherin? No way!"

Neville shook his head as he said, "I have absolutely no clue. I don't show any of the talent of the four houses."

Harry shrugged too, "No idea here."

At that moment, a snide voice reached their ears, "Not you again!"

The newcomers were three boys. Two of them were stocky and flanking a thin pale silver-blonde boy with grey eyes that looked mocking. They seemed to be eleven too. The blonde glared at Hermione who glared back.

"Torturing others of my level, I suspect. Can't you just mind your own business?"

"Aren't you pleasant?" Harry said opening a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans box. The boy turned to sneer at him, "I pity you for hanging around Red-Weasel, No-brainBottom and molared-Girl. What are you?"

The boy was obviously from an aristocratic pureblood family. He reminded him of a smart Dudley or other bullies from school. Apparently he asked for Harry's blood status.

"Appalled by the amount of gel on your hair."

Ron, Hermione and Neville snickered as the boy glared.

"Sticking around with them won't get you far. I'm giving you a chance because you are a newbie. My name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

Hermione let out a small squeak of laughter.

"So sorry for that." Harry said looking into his box to get a good-coloured bean.

Malfoy glared at him and his cronies stepped forward. Harry took out a green bean and said, "Are you going to get behind your _friends_ now?"

Malfoy's face turned pink, "How dare you talk to me like that? Show some respect to your elders!"

Harry stared at him and felt satisfied when he squirmed, "I don't care if you're the Minister for Magic, but respect should be earned."

The six kids stared at Harry. "Do you know who I am?" Malfoy asked punctuating each word.

Harry sighed and said wearily, "Of course. You are Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

The other three kids in the compartment burst out laughing.

Malfoy controlled his features and said, "Apparently, you want to stick to them. But if you want to get to the right side, I can give you a hand."

Malfoy held out his hand in a lets-shake gesture. Harry frowned internally. Why was he persistent in making friends with him? He would have understood it if Malfoy knew for a fact who he was, but Harry was shielding his Core very well. No one in the train knew that he was here.

"I think I can make out the right sort for myself, thanks."

Malfoy's jaw dropped at being rejected. Ron looked smug, Neville and Hermione looked relieved. Harry popped the bean into his mouth and chewed.

"Wonderful!" He said, looking impressed.

"What flavor?" Neville asked.

"Grass!" Harry answered and searched for more green beans.

He ignored the dumb-founded expressions he received from six quarters.

Malfoy muttered, "I'm not befriending a loon."

Harry looked up, "Neither am I. Bye."

* * *

**The chapter turned out a bit longer than I thought I would. But I'm happy with it.**

**The next update will be on Thursday. Stay tuned!**

**Cabba.**


	6. Sorting and Feasting

**All the answers to your review-questions are below:**

**No, Harry is oblivious to the reaction of his words.**

**Nobody knew who Harry really was as was his intentions. Ron didn't figure it out yet. Harry's and Dumbledore's conversation will be coming soon.**

**I am so sorry, Alexander Pierce, that you couldn't really enjoy the chapter. Most of the mistakes you found out were slightly grammatical. I work on a slightly moderated form of British English which is different from American English. The way I learnt it is in a different form. If it really bothers you, I'll double check from the next chapter. I'll see what errors are valid and try to correct them. Thanks for pointing them out, anyway.**

**The last chapters had the best response among the others and let's see if we can top that shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the works of Harry Potter except for the twist in the plot of my story. **

**Words – 4515**

* * *

Malfoy's face was quite red but Harry popped in another bean and frowned. "I think its fish." He said looking out the window. He closed half the glass as his cap was threatening to come off.

"You're not going far in life, I assure you." Malfoy sneered. Harry looked up, "That's not exactly assuring. But don't worry, you aren't right."

Malfoy gaped at Harry and then looked like he was going to hex him but Hermione intervened. "I can see the castle from here. The six of you better wear your robes."

The others looked out the window to see large medieval type castle with four towers and huge wings of rooms. In the darkness, the lights of the castle illuminated it.

Malfoy and his friends left and Ron said, "Thanks. But could you please…"

Hermione left them and the boys changed into the robes from their trunks in the next door load compartment. The train slowed down as they had just finished.

"I wonder what their names were." Harry said. Neville fastened his ties below his left ear in desperation and asked, "The shorter one was Crabbe. The other one was Goyle. I haven't a clue about their first names."

Harry nodded and got down the train along with Ron and Neville. He was nearly as tall as them.

Harry looked up at the castle and felt awe at the huge monument.

That was a magical school, alright. He could feel the tingling sensation over the tips of his fingers and had the strangest feeling that the castle was alive.

Harry read a sign which said, 'Hogsmeade Station.' What was with the 'hog'?

"Hogsmeade?" Harry asked and Ron said, "It's the name of the village less than a mile from here. Third years and above are allowed to go there during some weekends. There are lots of shops and even houses there. Fred and George are going this year."

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over 'ere!" A familiar voice called over the heads of the students and Harry saw Hagrid at the edge of the platform holding a huge lantern high up.

"Is it me or does he get bigger every year?" Neville mumbled and Ron rolled his eyes.

"'ello, 'arry. Ron, Neville. Good teh see ya again!" Hagrid grinned at them and Ron and Neville smiled back. Harry nodded and followed him as Hagrid led all the first years to a steep land form which led to huge lake. Ron sighed happily at the amount of black water and Harry wondered is his Core could be related to water.

"No more'n four teh a boat." Hagrid took a boat to himself. Harry, Ron, Neville and a sandy haired boy, who said his name was Seamus, got into one. Harry looked around to count exactly forty students, including himself. 11 boat in all. "Forward." Hagrid said loudly and the boat glided seamlessly across the lake.

Harry noticed that Ron leaned a little to let his hand stay in the water. Many people let out gasps of awe and Harry looked up and saw the towering castle whose base was in a rock of an island which was even higher up than them. He thought that the lake was like a moat around the castle but then realized that only half the castle was exposed to the water.

The lake went on into a dark forest. Harry stared. The forest was as much inviting as the castle. He'd visit it tomorrow.

"Heads down." Hagrid said as they passed a low stone ledge larger than Hagrid himself. They went through a curtain of Ivy and Harry shielded himself strongly, his fists clenched so that the ivy wouldn't try to attach themselves to him.

The boats aligned themselves by the dock like edge and they got out.

"Oy, Neville! Trevor's 'ere." Hagrid called dropping the dark green toad in Neville hands which were shaking a bit.

"Merlin! Trevor, why do you do that? Thanks, Hagrid." Neville said and stood next to Ron as Hagrid did a head count.

"Quiet down." He said and knocked on the large double doors of the castle.

The doors opened to reveal a tall woman wearing emerald-green robes. Her black hair was in a tight bun and she had a strict face and posture like she wouldn't stand for nonsense. She looked at the children with a sense of small pride in her eyes and Harry decided that he might like her.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said and she answered, "Thank you, Hagrid." Hagrid went away and Harry wondered how many entrances the castle had. He'd have to find them all.

"Follow me." She led them into the antechamber which was much larger than the size of the average muggle house. There were two sets of large staircases on either sides and another set of double doors. Harry heard the buzz of students behind the doors but the professor didn't open them yet.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, eat in the Great Hall, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room."

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours."

She looked at each one of them and continued, "I suggest you smarten yourselves up."

Harry realized that she was frowning at his cap and reluctantly took it off. Neville tried to push his cloak a bit downwards and Ron rubbed his neck.

"Wait here." She went up one of the staircases. Everyone started talking at once and Harry asked Ron and Neville, "How are they going to sort us?"

Neville shrugged, "No one ever told us. Some kinda ritual, I suppose."

"George said it's a test. He made it sound painful. But I don't believe him. At least not after that stupid spell he gave me." Ron mumbled. Harry frowned at the thought of doing something in front of the whole school. Suddenly a few people gasped and Harry turned to see about twenty or so ghosts come in through a wall.

"Hogwarts' ghosts. They're harmless. But watch out for Peeves." Ron said.

"Who?"

"Peeves. That's a poltergeist that Fred and George love. So watch out for him."

The ghosts were translucent and pearly white. They had large lavish dresses as if they belonged in the Victorian era.

"Planning to join them?" A spiteful voice said and Harry sighed before turning to face Malfoy, "No. I think I have a long way to go before approaching the realm of the world beyond."

Hermione looked rather impressed but others who heard him looked rather stumped at the words. Before Malfoy could say anything, McGonagall came back with a smile.

"We're ready for you." She said and opened the doors. The sounds increased for a second and them decreased as the forty first years followed the teacher between two long tables. There were four tables for four houses. The Great Hall was the largest closed room he had ever been in. There were large fires on tall half pillars around. There were hundreds of floating candles lit alight and the ceiling showed millions of stars and celestial clouds. But Harry focused on the ceiling again to see slight shapes of architecture which adorned the inner roof.

There were golden plates and silver goblets along all the tables including the main Staff table set on a platform in the front. The main seat was taken by a man whose beard and hair was silvery white. He was so old that Harry wondered whether he helped build the castle. He knew who this was. He could see bright twinkling blue eyes behind the half-moon glasses.

The seat to his right was empty and obviously belonged to Professor McGonagall. The other seats were filled by eight other wizards and witches and Hagrid who smiled at someone in the far right table.

With the headmaster in the centre and five people on either side of him (if McGonagall sat), Harry wondered how the students had been allowed to mutter loudly before they came in.

He saw her place a three legged stool with the most patched and frayed hat you could ever find, on top of it. The Hall went completely silent now.

Then a rip opened up within the hat and it started to sing.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_ _but don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black, your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head, the Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you, where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means, to achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!" _

Everyone clapped as the Hat finished its song. _It wasn't bad_, Harry thought. Maybe a soft background guitar tune would suit it.

"Now, I will call on your name, place the Hat on you head and you will be sorted into your houses." McGonagall said.

"Abbott, Hannah!"

A small blonde pig-tailed girl slowly walked up to the stool and placed the hat over her head which fell over her eyes.

There was a space of five seconds before the hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

The table on their right burst into applause and she went and sat down in the space a few older kids had made for her.

McGonagall called everyone by alphabetical order of their last names.

"Crabbe, Vincent!" One of Malfoy's friends was called on and the Hat didn't seem to want to sit on his head for too long. "SLYTHERIN!"

"Finnegan, Seamus!" The sandy haired boy, who had been with Harry, during the boat ride, walked up and sat down on the slightly wobbly stool. The Hat took nearly a minute before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He sat next to two identical boys with flaming red-hair like Ron's. They must have been Fred and George.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione walked, pink-faced as everyone in the Hall stared at her. The hat came over half her face and she sat for a while before it shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron had a look of disbelief as Hermione leapt off and ran to the table on the far left. Lavender Brown, another newly sorted Gryffindor, moved to let her sit.

Harry did not like the procedure of having a hat looking inside people's heads. What if they had secrets which were too important to be divulged?

He supposed no one cared because only eleven year olds were supposed to wear it. Not many adults took children, even their own, seriously.

"Jordan, Megan."

A blonde short girl went and Harry tried not to feel disappointed. There was no 'Jackson, Percy.'

"Longbottom, Neville!"

Neville nearly tripped as he stumbled up to the stool. The Hat took some time and Neville kept moving his lips as if in a constant prayer.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron clapped along with the other Gryffindors as Neville looked close to faint when he walked away.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

Malfoy walked in s slightly stiff posture and the Hat barely touched his head when it screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

There were Patil twins and then a Perks. He had thought that twins should be in the same house. His father and uncle were in separate houses and he wondered how different they would've have been for the separation.

Harry didn't exactly want the hat to read all his thoughts. When McGonagall called, "Potter, Harry!" the Hall went absolutely still with shock.

Harry sighed and politely pushed past a few people in front of him and walked towards the stool. He could feel everyone's stares and that was the last thing he saw along with people standing up to get a better look at him.

A small voice said in his ear, "Quite difficult. Plenty of wit. You are rather smart. And clever too! A familiar? Haven't met one for half a century. Let's hope you turn out better. Hmm. A perfect Ravenclaw. But you have patience to stare down a dragon? Remember the school motto! Hufflepuff would be good for you, but I think Slytherin would do."

"What about Gryffindor?" Harry thought.

"Gryffindor? Well, it would be a waste of all those wonderful ideas, if you didn't go into Gryffindor. What's that? You have a very dark secret, Mr. Potter."

"Spill that and I'll let Bolt rip you to shreds." Harry thought calmly and the Hat chuckled. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. But it will come out somehow; best to divulge it yourself."

"Let me in Gryffindor."

"Why do you want to go there? Because of your family? Because The Dark Lord was in Slytherin?"

"Maybe."

"You are quite sure. I can't wait for you to face your challenges. Hogwarts will gain a whole new reputation just because of you. So, you have to be in GRYFFINDOR!"

Harry let out a breath and took of the Hat and went to sit beside Parvati Patil, trying to drown out the much too loud applause. Many people started to introduce themselves and shake his hands. He nodded politely at them.

"You are Harry Potter!" Hermione leaned over and hissed. Harry shrugged. He turned to watch nearly half the student body looking at him. They immediately turned to watch the sorting.

The fourth Gryffindor boy was a tall Black Boy, Dean Thomas, with keen brown eyes. Everyone seemed gravitated towards him and Harry felt that his Core was Psychological. He sat next to Seamus and shook his hand.

Ron was a delicate shade of green when his name was called.

His legs were shaking subtly and the Hat thought for exactly seven seconds before announcing, "GRYFFINDOR!"

He let out a huge sigh of relief and another red-haired boy with a badge that read, 'Prefect', said, "Well done, Ron."

Fred and George clapped him on the back and said, "Such a surprise that was! No one would have expected that, Ronnie."

"Shut it!" Ron scowled at them and turned to face Harry.

"Yes?" Harry asked. Ron looked a little irritated at him, "Don't remember me at all?"

Harry was surprised, "Am I supposed to?"

One of the twins cut in, "Let it go, Ron. It was a decade ago."

Ron sighed, "Sorry, Harry. These are my brothers, Fred a-"

"Ron!" One of them said. "I'm George!"

Ron groaned. "Don't listen when they say that. That's Percy. Our other brother. He just became a Prefect."

Harry gave a slight start at the name and turned to look at the oldest Weasely who reached over to shake his hand.

"Do you remember him?" Ron asked hopefully.

Harry said, "No. You can tell me later why I'm supposed to remember your family. Who else is there in it?"

Ron was about to say something but there sudden silence and Harry looked up to see Albus Dumbledore standing. He beamed at every student and Harry felt that the headmaster stared at him a second longer than anyone else, "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. Before we begin our feast, I'd like to say a few words; Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak! Thank you!"

The Hall clapped as half of them laughed. Harry frowned, "I understood 'blubber', 'oddment' and 'tweak'. But why did he say, 'nitwit'?"

"If you actually think any of us know what he says half the time, you must be joking!" George said.

"I don't joke." Harry said and the twins stared at him.

"Good. It's our job. Besides, it looks like you'd ruin any joke you even try to make. No offense."

"None taken."

Harry looked down at the golden plate and stared at his reflection. Suddenly it wasn't there anymore.

A paper napkin was on the plate and the serving dishes were full with every kind of delicacy you could imagine.

Harry stared at the roast potatoes in front of him and took a few of them. Ron had a chicken leg in both hands and was nearly stuffing his mouth with them. Everyone was chatting freely as they ate dinner. It reminded Harry of how a proper family dinner should be.

Neville was about to take some gravy for his food when a ghost head popped out from it.

"Argh." Neville cried.

"So sorry about that. I love chicken gravy. I was trying to get a taste."

The ghost floated above the table and Ron suddenly said, "I know who you are! You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I prefer to go by Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, Resident Ghost of the Gryffindor house." The ghost said stiffly.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?" Dean asked and Nick huffed.

"Like this." He grabbed his opposite ear and yanked his head sideways. The head fell on one side attached by a small piece of skin. Ron let out a yell and Neville coughed up his water. Seamus and Dean looked at the inside of the neck in horror and a few girls screamed.

Harry bit into his carrot and said, "Amazing. How did that happen?"

"Cut by a blunt axe 45 times. Wasn't pleasant. So new Gryffindors! Better help and get some points to win the house Cup this year. Slytherin's been winning it four times in a row and the Bloody Baron's getting unbearable. He's the Slytherin Ghost."

Harry turned to see a horrible looking ghost next to Malfoy who looked ready to run away. The ghost had silver stains on his clothes and Harry asked, "How did he get so bloody? It doesn't even look his."

"I never asked." Nick delicately. He patted Harry's shoulder which became almost as cold as Halloween. It might have been uncomfortable but wasn't so bad.

Nick floated away and Harry said, "Pass the salt please, Seamus."

Seamus blinked and gave him the shaker.

"I've lost my appetite." Neville said. He turned to look at Ron who had a piece of bacon in his mouth.

"This was even worse than discovering moving pictures." Hermione said and Harry looked at her interested, "I beg your pardon?"

"The photos. They move."

"Of course."

Soon, the plates were clean and sparkling and pudding appeared. Ice cream blocks in every flavours available were on the tables.

"Do you get the feeling that Hogwarts is spoiling us?" Harry asked taking a little treacle tart.

Ron shrugged. Fred said, "During the first night, special days and last night, it's banquets. Others are normal and amazing delicious food."

Harry swallowed the first bite of his ice-cream when Bolt growled in his head.

'What?' He thought.

'There's something strange in the Hall. I don't like it. It's not safe.' She said.

'Why are you sensing something bad only now?'

'There were too many people. Auras were pulsating strongly. But this vibe is standing out. It's dark.' She said.

'From where?'

'The staff table.'

That was the last place Harry would have thought but he looked up at the table. The teachers were busy talking to each other. A Dumbledore and a short witch in green robes were chuckling and McGonagall glared at the both of them. A few others at the end seemed to be getting fed-up by what a professor with large charms around her neck and huge spectacles had been telling them.

Harry looked on the other side to see Hagrid drinking deeply from the goblet, a tiny wizard reading from a small note pad. He looked at the last two.

One of them was stuttering as he talked. Harry could see his lips and teeth shaking. He had a strange purple turban on his head and he was conversing with a sallow-faced hook nosed teacher with greasy black hair who seemed to frighten the other.

'Yes, it's definitely coming from their table. I can't pinpoint it, because the person is doing his/her best to shield themselves.' Bolt said looking at each teacher carefully.

'If they're shielding, how can you feel it?' Harry asked. He frowned at the hook-nosed teacher.

'The shield's not strong enough. It's as if the person is too weak.'

'They look in good health to me.' Harry mused. He stared at the hook-nosed teacher and the teacher suddenly turned to look at him. Immediately there was a sharp hot pain across his scar. He winced and dropped his spoon.

"Harry?" Ron asked.

Harry blinked twice and focused on the table, "It's nothing. Do you know who that professor is? The one in black robes."

"That's Severus Snape. Head of the Slytherin House. He hates all Gryffindors. I think he teaches Potions." Ron summarized and took another mouthful of chocolate. Bolt's thought were on a different train.

'That last one is weird.' She said.

'Yes, he seems a bit out-of-place.'

'I'm not talking about the guy who doesn't know what a shampoo is!' Bolt said irritated.

'The one in the turban?'

'Yeah.'

Harry stared at the duo but nothing else happened. He turned to see Hermione talking about the different classes and what could be the toughest. Seamus was telling about his half-blood status.

"I'm muggle-born. But my mum's family had some wizard blood. An uncle of mine works in the Ministry." Dean said.

Ron swallowed his portion, "My dad works in the Ministry too."

"How many other schools for magic are there?" Harry asked suddenly. He hadn't found much information about that in any of his books.

"There are a few over Europe. There's one in East Asia I think." Hermione said.

"South-East Asia." Parvati corrected. "My grandfather wanted Padma and me to go there, but then the over-all decision was Hogwarts."

"Is there one in the States?" Harry persisted.

"Um… no, I don't think so." Hermione said thinking hard.

"I don't think there's any magical activity in America, Harry." Ron said frowning. "Why?"

"Just curious." Harry looked down trying to block his frustration. There really couldn't be a whole other world out there, could there?

When the pudding and ice-cream were finished, plates disappeared and the headmaster stood up again.

"Now that we have been sufficiently relaxed from the journey, I'd like to say a few more words. Hogwarts is your home, now. There are rules to be followed and a good number of them should remain unbroken. The Forbidden Forest is exactly that, forbidden. The Black lake is what your future will be if you decide to enter it, black. The number of restricted items has increased since last year (he turned to look at the Weasely Twins who smiled back, innocently at him). The entire list is with Argus Filch.

"The Library is for those young enthusiasts who know how to use the books. The Restricted Section has been given a rightful name. And the Third Floor Corridor is banned to all those who do not wish for a painful death.

"And now, after that cheerful introduction I sense that a few are cursing their luck and wishing to go to sleep. You may leave to your House locations."

Some laughed at the words while everybody got up. Percy Weasely stood up, pushed out his chest proudly and called, "All first years, this way!"

Harry made to follow Ron who yawned and said, "What do you think about his speech?"

Harry let out a breathe feeling a little tired and wishing he could close his eyes to a dreamless sleep, "He said the forest's forbidden, the lake will lead to a black future, the rules are not always meant to be broken, library has a restricted area and the corridor on the third floor is banned. Want to check them, later?"

Ron grinned, "Lake first."

* * *

The Prefects lead them through tapestries, seven floors of trick staircases, missing steps and moving levels. The walls around the stairs had hundreds of portraits and landscape pictures of wizards from different eras. They finally reached a large portrait of a fat lady in a pink silk gown.

"Password?" She asked in a regal tone.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said and the portrait swung open to reveal the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room. There were many warm soft sofas surrounding the fireplace. There was one large table on the other side for a group study and other places and few comfy chairs with cushions. There was a portrait of a pride of lions and lionesses on top of the mantelpiece. One of the lions roared, startling many first-years.

Percy explained about the dormitories and how the tower was divided into levels. The ground level was the Common Room. The first level housed the First years, second level had Second years and so on. Harry wondered what was on top of the seventh level.

Ron, Harry, Neville, Seamus and Dean went into their dorm. Their trunks were by five four poster beds with red curtains which could be drawn for privacy. Harry ran to the one of the four windows between the beds.

"The view is grand. We can see half the forest from here."

"Lake?"

"No."

Ron huffed and got into the bed on the far right. Harry took the one next to him and Neville dragged his trunk to the middle. Seamus dropped into the bed on the left to Neville and Dean drew his curtains of the bed on the far left. In the middle of the room, there was a black iron heater, with railings, probably to warm clothes during the winters where the temperatures dropped low.

Harry changed into his night wear and Bolt jumped out and settled herself onto the pillow, without further due.

"Comfy?" Harry asked a bit put out and Bolt said, "Yes."

He opened his curtains a bit to let the moonlight in. Dean turned out the lights and said, "Goodnight, guys."

With rather muffled replies four boys fell asleep. Harry sighed and closed his eyes thinking about Percy, Daniel, Hedwig, Snape, his scar and, for some reason, Quirrell.

* * *

**I hope this chapter was better. The last one got a great response and I'm hoping the same for this, too! R&R.**

**I published a story about Sally's snippets of life. It's going to be a three shot!**

**Stay tuned for the next update this weekend.**

**Cabba. **


	7. Accepting and Understanding

**Aw! Only 5 reviews… Anyway.**

**Juli Beawr – Harry and Ron did meet on the train. I didn't understand your doubt.**

**theHuntress101 – Sorry. I don't know which part of the chapter you're talking about. I'll specify in the future.**

**RedRangerBelt – Harry will figure things out sooner. Yes, Ron and Harry were close and we'll get to that in a few chapters. The next update to 'Catching a Break' will be next week.**

**Any other doubts? You know what to do if you get them!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series except for this plot and my OC's.**

**Words – 3609**

* * *

_To DJP,_

_You have to believe me. What you can do is magic. What happens around you is when your emotions go out of control and magic happens. I can't explain it in simpler words. Even though my 555 year old version of conversation with you is not to be done, I will still hope for you to understand._

_I am not going to comment on the exaggerations you have made. I am truly sorry to have woken you up at the unseemly hour. I was much too impatient and wanted to communicate with you._

_I am not sure of how to make you believe me without revealing the truth too much. However if you do have questions regarding your heritage and mine, I will answer them up to a limit. _

_You will come to know the full story when we meet. To peak your interest, we have a great great grandfather, Albus Dumbledore. Yes, I'm not too happy with him, either, which is why I'm giving his name away. I'm sure he won't ground me._

_Hoping you will rethink matters,_

_HJP._

* * *

Harry didn't sleep properly. He kept waking up in the middle of the night and had snippets of dreams where Malfoy and Ron were best of friends, Hermione was Rose's sister, Neville and Snape were playing chess and Professor Quirrell's turban was telling Harry to go into Slytherin. He refused asking what did it matter and the turban blasted him with green light and Harry woke up yet again. Bolt groaned.

'You need to calm down.' She said.

Harry sighed and looked at his small alarm clock. It was nearing six. Harry got out of bed deciding not to waste any more time and took a ten minute bath. Bolt was still snoozing when he came back and he made the bed and put her in his inner robe pocket.

'I would like some chow mein, please.' She mumbled and Harry rolled his eyes. He straightened up to see a rectangular piece of paper stuck to the wall near Ron's bed. It was a timetable for the year. He took it out and another one appeared on the wall.

* * *

**8:00 a.m. – Breakfast.**

**11:00 to 11:30 a.m. – Study Break/Brunch.**

**12:30 to 1:30 p.m. – Lunch.**

**3:30 to 5:00 p.m. – Mastering Acquired Gifts in the Core (MAGIC) **

**5:00 to 8:00 p.m. – Break.**

**8:00 – Dinner.**

**To be back in the Dormitories latest by 9:30 p.m.**

_**Monday :**_

**9:10 to 10:00 a.m. – Transfiguration – with Ravenclaws.**

**10:05 to 10:55 a.m. – Herbology. **

**11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Defence Against the Dark Arts**

**1:30 to 2:20 p.m. – Charms – with Hufflepuffs.**

**2:25 to 3:15 p.m. – Potions – Slytherins.**

_**Tuesday:**_

**9:10 to 10:55 a.m. – Double Charms – with Ravenclaws.**

**11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – History of Magic – with Slytherins.**

**1:30 to 2:20 p.m. – Herbology **

**2:25 to 3:15 p.m. – Defence Against the Dark Arts.**

_**Wednesday:**_

**9:10 to 10:00 a.m. – Defence Against the Dark Arts. **

**10:05 to 10:55 a.m. – History of Magic.**

**11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Potions - with Slytherins**

**1:30 to 2:20 p.m. – Transfiguration – with Ravenclaws.**

**2:25 to 3:15 p.m. – Charms.**

**11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. – Astronomy (Practical) – with Hufflepuffs.**

_**Thursday:**_

**9:10 to 10:00a.m. – Flying Lessons – with Slytherins.**

**10:05 to 10:55 a.m. – History of Magic – with Ravenclaws. **

**11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Herbology.**

**1:30 to 3:15 p.m. – Double Potions – with Slytherins.**

_**Friday:**_

**9:10 to 10:55 a.m. – Double DADA – with Ravenclaws.**

**11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Charms.**

**1:30 to 2:20 p.m. – Transfiguration – with Hufflepuffs.**

**2:25 to 3:15 p.m. – Herbology.**

**Change in time-tables will be notified by the Headmaster or the respective Heads of the Houses.**

**Have a good day!**

* * *

Harry was looking forward to the classes. It was past six thirty, so he opened his trunk to put the respective books with enough scrolls of parchment and unbreakable bottles of ink and two quills in his black shoulder bag.

Harry sat down on his bed wondering what to do till eight.

'The Grounds?' Bolt suggested.

'Library!' Harry thought and his familiar groaned.

He went out and had just opened the Portrait when a voice stopped him, "Well, you are out early."

Harry turned to see the Fat Lady looking at him suspiciously. Harry hoisted his bag a bit higher and said, "Just going to the library. Besides it's not that early."

"Library? That was the same excuse you father gave before causing havoc in the kitchens." She said and Harry stared, "Really?"

"Yes."

"Well, if I'm going to cause havoc, it will be in the library. Nice talking to you." Harry went down ignoring her protests.

Percy, the Prefect, had pointed out where most of the places were when they passed it last night. The Hospital Wing, Library and Great Hall were on the ground floor. The classes were above and staff rooms were on the fourth floor. He hadn't said were Dumbledore's Office was. Not that Harry cared. If the headmaster didn't want anything to do with him or Daniel, then Harry would ignore him as well.

He wondered where Hedwig was as he entered the large room with the sign, 'Aurum Library'.

There were hundreds of shelves with many books around them. Harry wasn't sure from where to start.

"Yes? What do you need?" A voice said and Harry saw a strict looking lady in long brown robes, glaring at him from one of the aisles.

"A book." He said.

"What what would you do to a book, Mr. Potter?" She asked.

"I'd open it and read from it, Madam Pince." Harry said carefully by the name plate on the desk behind her. Her nostrils flared and she asked, "What book?"

"About different schools providing magical education in the world."

She stared at him and then said, "Shelf 13, Row 6."

Harry went and found two books by the names, 'Justified Schools of the East' and 'Noted Institutions of Wizardry.'

The most prominent schools in the World were Hogwarts, Beauxbatons (A French Institution), Durmstrang, (From Bulgaria) and Starkilt (A Russian School). There were others, but these four were upheld as the most eligible choices. Once in a few decades a couple of the schools would meet in fest-like activities. The last meet was in 1992 during Christmas. Beauxbatons and Hogwarts had a Ball to welcome the new Headmistress, Madame Olympé Maxime into world of seniority.

Ron and Hermione were right. No Wizarding schools or settlements in North America, but there was an Institute in Brazil which shut down years ago after a rampant attack by Muggle locals who realized strange-on goings in the forests.

America was isolated from the Wizarding World including the Arctic, Antarctica continents.

Harry closed the books and leaned back. Okay, then this meant that Percy was from a very different world.

What were the odds of having two huge secrets on the same planet? It seemed seriously over-rated.

Bolt nudged his head, 'Come on, I'm starving.'

'It's 7: 46.' Harry reminded her and Bolt groaned, 'An early breakfast cannot hurt in any way!'

Harry sighed. He didn't have much of an appetite but decided it couldn't hurt to have at least some non-fruit breakfast.

He walked along the long corridors listening to the echoes of his footsteps. Every where he looked, there were carvings on the walls and over doorways. They looked like curved designs, but Harry wondered whether it could have been another old lost language. Hogwarts, A History had said that the castle was built in 482 A.D.

He went into the Great Hall and saw that there was no one, save for…

"Good Morning, Mr. Potter. I trust you have rested well." The Headmaster greeted him from his large ornate chair from the teacher's table. Harry stopped and stared at him. The hall was very large and the voice had echoed loudly.

"Good morning to you too, Headmaster, I did rest." No need to say he hadn't actually slept. Bolt thought, 'Don't try to hide things from this old man. He can understand stuff in silence.'

Harry tilted his head and sat at the edge of the Gryffindor table at the farthest distance from Dumbledore and put his bag on the bench beside him. A plate with toast and jam appeared along with a small goblet of pumpkin juice that he had tasted and liked yesterday night.

'Magic food. I'm liking this place already.' Bolt thought and jumped out of Harry's shoulder to sniff at it.

"Bolt!" He hissed and stared at the Headmaster who seemed to be humming to himself.

'Relax. He knows. Hagrid sent him that letter.'

'I know, but it still wasn't right. I don't want people knowing about you. I'm not sure of their reactions as of yet.' Harry said and Bolt rolled her eyes. She grabbed a toast and jumped on to the bag to munch on it. Harry sighed and spread some mango jam on the bread.

He and Dumbledore ate in silence easily ignoring the other. Harry looked up around the Hall taking in the details. The windows were open and bright sun light was streaming in. There were no candles. The ceiling was light blue with scattered clouds. There was no sun directly seen. Obviously.

Harry wondered how many people it had taken to charm the ceiling with the long-lasting illusion. Maybe seven, seeing as it was considered to be the most magical number.

He stared at the four large hourglasses behind the staff table. They were aligned with the house tables. The top portion had what looked like rubies for Gryffindor, amethyst gems for Ravenclaw, topaz for Hufflepuffs and Emeralds for Slytherin. At the moment, the bottom portions were empty. On top of every hourglass, the name and points of the houses were written. It was zero, now. He wondered what had been the maximum score. Had there been negatives?

The doors opened and a group of Ravenclaw girls came in. Bolt immediately hid inside the bag. They stopped when they saw Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore. The presence of two of the most famous wizards in one room caused them to nervously shuffle until Dumbledore beamed and said, "Well, come in, students! A good morning like this should not be spent on an empty stomach."

One of the girls bravely said, "Thank you, sir." She sat at their table and was followed by her three friends. Their food appeared and they kept whispering to each other, while staring at Harry who ignored them.

He sighed as he finished his breakfast. The plate disappeared and Harry slowly sipped his juice. If Mum knew that he was drinking pumpkin juice…

He remembered how she would laugh when Harry or Percy did something unintentionally. He wished terribly that she could see this place. Percy would love it and would want to find out all the secret places.

He took out a photo of their beach trip and looked at it. Their sandcastle was washed out by the waves and the lifeguard had taken a pick of the three of them in front of a pile of wet sand that looked melted. Harry was three years old in the frozen pic.

"Who's she?" Ron's voice asked and Harry spun in his seat to see the red-head stare at the photo.

"A neighbour of mine. Is it eight, already?" Harry asked. Ron stared at him quizzically and said, "Yeah. I wondered where you were. But since your bed was made and everything, I figured you were hungry."

Ron sat down and Harry saw more people come in the Hall. He took his plate which had a way more food than how much Harry had taken.

"I'm an early riser." Harry responded and pocketed the photo. Ron stared at the pocket and said, "The photo wasn't moving."

"Muggle camera." Harry said.

"Oh. But you can use the potion people use on photographs to make them move." Ron said in a matter-of-fact tone. He took a little bacon off from the large plate on the middle of the table. Harry saw many others coming in and the five tables steadily became full of students, teachers and food.

"Do you know which potion?" Harry asked.

"Um…"

"Shiflus Potion." A girl's voice said and Harry and Ron looked up to see Hermione sitting opposite to them.

"How long does it take to make it?" Harry asked.

"Twelve minutes. It's self storing. But you need adult supervision for the first time." She said taking her bowl of cereal.

"I'll ask the Potion's Professor." Harry nodded, thinking about all 25 photos which he wanted to change.

Ron snorted out and coughed. Fred, who had been sitting on his other side, thumped him on the back.

"Take some water." He said and Ron's airway seem to clear up instantly.

Ron managed to choke out, "Sorry to disappoint you, Harry, but Snape's the last person who would want to help you!"

Hermione frowned at that and Harry asked, "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

George leaned in, "Little bro's right. Snape hates Gryffindors. He'd sooner cook you than help you."

"He didn't look like a cannibal." Harry said slowly.

"He's a professor. He wouldn't treat a student like that!" Hermione interrupted.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Seriously, he hates us. You'll see. We have Potions today with the Slytherins. We're doomed."

"I don't think I'm that tasty." Harry muttered.

"You're just saying that because he's the head of the Slytherin house." Hermione reasoned.

"Trust me you'll change your opinion after today's class." Ron said taking another bite of his breakfast.

"He won't cook me." Harry said startling Ron and Hermione.

There was a sound of rustling from above and everyone looked up to see hundreds of owls swoop into the Hall and around the room.

"Ah, mail's here!" Ron grinned.

All kinds of owls flew around searching for their owners or their receivers. Packages started dropping into people's hands. Hedwig landed next to Harry, much to his surprise.

"Hedwig! How are you, girl?" He said stroking her feathers as she hooted tiredly and extended her leg with a letter attached to it.

Hermione said, "Wow. Is she yours, Harry?"

"She's mine and tired. Take some cereal." Harry took a bowl and filled it with some cereal and milk. He took the letter to see it as a reply to what he had sent.

Suddenly, there was a loud flat screech and they looked up just in time to see a brown owl collide with Hedwig sending both birds sprawled in front of Percy Weasely.

"Errol!" George groaned. Hedwig leaped to her feet and ruffled her feathers. She sent a hard glare towards Errol and pecked hard against it. Errol gave a screech of irritation, but Hedwig turned away and flew to Harry's shoulder. A few people laughed.

"You okay?" Harry asked and Hedwig nipped him on the ear.

"That's Errol for you. No wonder he went loopy. He's holding three letters and the Daily Prophet. Imagine when Ginny comes." Fred said taking out the letters and a rolled up paper.

Harry turned to his letter.

_To HJP,_

_You are like an unwanted pen-pal that writes interesting letters. So, you're not exactly unwanted, but with my not so boring life, if you promise not to visit me for now, I'll side with you. But tell me more about the Potters._

_Did we have any siblings? Uncles, Aunts? Albus Dumbledore sounds made up. But it sounds awesome. Plus, I like seeing your owl. _

_Well, I don't really talk to people, so this something like a nice change. Just don't ruin it with any horror stuff. _

_Magic? No, that sounds weird. Strange things do happen, but you might have to be here to understand. Did strange things happen around you?_

_Why don't you send me a photo? If you have one of the family. Why am I in an orphanage?_

_How old are you, really? I don't want to be conversing with some creepy 555 year old bloke. No offense, if you are one. It would be cool we people could live up to 555 years! Is Albus Dumbledore 555 years old? Does he have a pet turtle?_

_I am giving you one chance. _

_DJP._

Harry sighed in relief. This was going better than he thought. Daniel was probably interested only because he was ten years old. Harry didn't like think of him as having no friends. Although, if he did have friends, why would he bother writing to a complete stranger?

Harry had decided to talk to Dumbledore soon. At least for the sake of Daniel.

He kept back his letter and looked around to see Hermione looking at him.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Nothing. I was just wondering when to go to the owlery to write a letter to my parents."

"We have a break after the first two classes." Harry reminded her. The owlery was a tower on the Hogwarts grounds where all the school owls lived and rested when they weren't flying. He wondered if Hedwig would like to meet some friends but right now, she looked tired.

"I set up your perch by my bed. Get some rest, Hedwig."

Hedwig took off without another sound. Harry turned to Ron who was still eating. He saw the rolled up newspaper by his elbow.

"May I borrow this?" He asked and Ron said, "Shar."

Hermione made a tutting noise and Ron glared at her. Harry opened it wondering if he should issue for the paper too.

"Table manners." Hermione said and Ron swallowed and said, "You don't have to sit here, if you don't like it."

"You're not very polite." She sniffed and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Well, you aren't my mother, so it doesn't matter."

"That's rude!"

"It's fact."

"Someone tried to steal from Gringotts!" Harry said suddenly.

"Really?" Hermione asked.

"That's old news. It made the headlines a month ago. Did they find any clues?" Ron asked.

"No. There weren't any magic or visible traces around the vault. I'll read it out.

_Authorities have conducted the mass investigation in vain and the public are under the impression that the attempted theft was done with dark magic._ _The Gringotts Goblins have given no further details other than the fact that the vault in question was emptied that very day._ _They have refused to say what was in the vault that was worth enough to break into Gringotts. All seven Goblin Barriers were broken along with two Wizard curses which indicated probable inside help. A lead team from Egypt have taken over the case."_

"Why Egypt?" Hermione asked.

"Most defensive magic and wards were made and modified in Egypt. If there was any tampering done to the barriers, they'd find it out the first. When was the vault actually broken into?"

"I dunno, around 26th or 27th of July, I'm guessing." Ron shrugged. Harry frowned. Hagrid had taken Harry on 27th. He had also removed a tiny package out of vault 713.

He would have liked to think this as a coincidence, but he knew with experience that there were no such things as coincidences.

Ron sighed, happy with a full stomach and Harry picked up his bag, "It's Transfiguration. McGonagall's class is on the fifth floor."

"What's it doing up there?" Ron asked getting up and taking his own bag.

* * *

McGonagall had given them a short, stern, to-the-point speech about how to behave in her class. Harry started to see her as a strict version of Sally.

She explained, "Transfiguration is not just changing the form of an object into another. It comprises of mental readiness to want to change. You should will yourself to channel your magic specifically through your wands into your given object or subject to alter it. What is the zeroeth law of Transfiguration?"

A few people raised their hands and she picked one of the Ravenclaws. The short blonde boy with freckles, stood up a bit clumsily and he said, "_The energy used in the transformation is the same amount of percentage change taking place in the object_."

"Yes, two points to Ravenclaw. With practice we can reduce the amount of energy used for spells and increase the magic used. This is solely based on willpower and has nothing to do with the Core."

She then proceeded to explain two more laws and made the class write down their own interpretations of them. Then she gave each of them a match stick with aim of turning them into needles.

"_Altrife._" Ron said pointing at the match stick with all his might. He had his jaw clenched and his grip on his wand tightened. The match stick moved away as if repelled with a magnetic force.

A few people shouted it and jabbed their matches which sent them flying across the room.

Harry frowned at the match and relaxed. It wasn't just about using magic. It was about wanting to do something with it. He needed to turn it into a nice sharp needle. He focused on his tingling sensation towards the match imagining it to turn it into a shiny steel needle.

"_Altrife._"

Harry watched as the match easily changed into slim little needle with a sharp point and a tiny hole for the thread. He touched it. It was slightly warm. Probably from the magic conversion. Or Harry's fingers were cold, as usual.

"This is good progress." McGonagall said as she stopped by Hermione's spot and picked up a steel coloured thin match. Harry frowned. The young girl hadn't actually understood the intention of doing the magic. But her magic was strong.

The bell rang and Harry didn't bother calling the professor. The main thing was that he knew how to use his magic the way he wanted.

* * *

**The next update will be deeper. And when Halloween comes, the real part of the adventure starts…**

**Stay tuned for Thursday! My homework's about the height of the Eiffel Tower!**

**Cabba.**


	8. Revelations

**I'm happy with the response for the previous chapter. Keep it up! **

**For those who have had a confusion with my concepts of 'Core' and 'Shielding' it will be explained in this chapter and the next.**

_**tiger1lily**_** – Welcome to my story. I'm so glad that you enjoy it. Have you read 'Pumki' and 'Her Choices'? **

**Nobody can replace Percy in Harry's life, but Daniel is really close! Sirius Black will have a more important role than he did in JKR's books. As for your other questions, I'm keeping them as secrets. Ask more if you have other doubts and if they aren't spoilers, I'll answer them!**

_**RedRangerBelt**_** – Harry will be trying to balance this world and the possibility of the existence of another. He will have some ideas, which will come up in the coming years before meeting up with Percy. Snape and Harry's relationship will be out of the window with this chapter! Harry and Dumbledore's talk will be coming up. I've already planned it.**

_**theHuntress101**_** – Harry was talking about Percy**

_**Juli Beawr**_** – Harry and Ron will have a little more bonding in this chapter.**

_**Alexander Pierce**_** – I've corrected the mistakes that you found and only changed what I felt was relevant. Thanks for pointing out the error. I hope this chapter is better as I kept that in mind!**

**Thanks to **_**Juli Beawr**__**, **__**Mythomagic-Champion**__**, **__**LightUpTheMidnight**__**, **__**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**__**, **__**E J ect**__** , **__**theHuntress101**_ ** for reading 'Catching a Break.' For those of you who don't know, it's a three-shot about three different points in Sally's life where she gets a break. Hence, the name.**

**Reminder – Catching a Break is a three-shot. The end's a huge cliff-hanger. But to ease your tension, I'll give you a hint, **_**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx **_**'s guess is quite close…**__

**Disclaimer: I don't own the HP series. The characters recognized are not mine.**

**Words – 4175**

…

Magic was easy. And vast. And complicated. And interesting.

At least to Harry.

All the lessons were taken by different teachers with varying personalities. And yet they functioned like a well oiled machine. Or nearly as well as Harry's brain.

Herbology was taken by Professor Sprout, a short little witch who wore dark green robes and handled the plants the way Harry would have. The moment they had entered the greenhouse, most plants turned to him. He tried to coax them to relax but in vain. He had to work on his shield.

Defence Against the Dark Arts, or as everyone called it, DADA, had been a bit of a letdown. Professor Quirrell, a stuttering wizard, couldn't say a single sentence without repeating half of it thrice. Harry knew stammering to be a chronic problem for some shy people, but this seemed to be a bit over the limit.

Bolt thought that he was faking it. She didn't like his aura. She couldn't get a sense of his core. Either he shielded 24 hour a day, or he simply didn't have one. And that was impossibility.

Professor Flitwick, a tiny person who stood on a stack of books was very cooperative with the students and Harry added him to the list of people to be respected. He taught Charms and Harry felt that subject was much too understandable. He wondered if you could get double promotions in a Wizarding school.

Potions was something else. Professor Snape was a bit dramatic with the entrance. They had been, not so quietly, waiting for him to come into the dark dungeon (you can't expect cooperation within Gryffindors and Slytherins especially if there was a Weasely and a Malfoy in the room.)

Nearly everyone (except for the obvious) jumped when Snape came in. The door banged against the wall and shut itself while Snape glared at everyone as if they had personally insulted him by breathing the same air. His anger reduced as his eyes looked over the Slytherins but happily took reign when they settled on the Gryffindors.

"You are here to learn the subtle art of potion making. Not, many wizards would think much, but a true potioneer would know the dangers and extent of powers that can take place with the right potion. I can teach you how to brew glory, bottle fame and even put a stopper to death, if you aren't as much as big dunderheads I usually have to teach!"

Harry liked the speech until the last few words. He could hear Hermione's rapid breathing as if she couldn't wait to prove herself.

"Potter!" Snape said suddenly. "What would I get I added powdered root of Asphodel to an infusion to wormwood?"

Harry stood up and, ignoring Hermione's raised hand, answered, "It depends on the amount of Asphodel root powder, sir. Half the amount of the powder in proportion with the wormwood infusion would result in a mild sleeping potion for the restless. Any more than that along with a drop of Gatner essence makes the potion lethal. It's called the Draught of Death."

Ron felt that Harry might actually survive.

"Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"I'd look for a goat. Preferably, a brown skinned one. A bezoar has more chances of growing in the stomach of a brown skinned goat. Capra aegagrus." Harry said nodding to himself.

Snape only started to fire more questions and Harry got all of them.

"Looks like we have a smart aleck, here. Tell me Potter, if you didn't have any ingredients for a potion and found yourself in dire trouble, what would you do?"

"That was a very vague situation, sir. A bit more specification?"

"Struck down in the middle of the battlefield."

Harry wondered about Snape's imagination. It seemed quite peculiar.

"I'd use my wand to get myself out by apparition."

"Can you apparate, Potter?"

"Not yet."

"Then how will you escape?"

"Make a distraction and escape. Or I'd use my Core."

"What if you can't move? Do you know how to use the extensions of your Core?"

"If I can't move, I might pretend to be dead. There is a probability that they'd ignore me. Then I'd put a shield around to avoid any stray curses. And no, I don't know how to use the gifts, but by today, I will at least have an idea."

"You seem to be very confident that you will learn all that." Snape said trying to look for any weakness in the boy, but Harry just gave a half-shrug gesture and said, "It starts with wanting to learn and believing that you can. Otherwise you're just lost."

Snape stared at him and snapped, "Why aren't you all copying that down?"

Harry decided not to retort. He wondered what Percy would have said.

When the bell rang, they gathered their belongings and Snape called, "It would do not to be such a know it all from time to time, Potter!"

Harry nodded seriously at him and Snape just gaped until he left. Bolt thought that Snape needed some colour and suggested to Harry about painting him in rainbow shades. Harry asked her where she had left her brain and she growled, deciding to ignore him the whole day.

"You learnt the whole syllabus by heart, didn't you? And here, I thought you were one of the good guys. But you showed him properly. So, I forgive you." Ron said. Harry thought and said, "I actually didn't understand much in that sentence. Were you trying to make a joke?"

"Um…"

"Keep practicing."

"He wasn't so bad. Why'd you say that the class would be so horrible?" Hermione asked catching up to them.

Ron frowned, "Wait until we get to double potions or practicals. Snape does everything to destroy your courage. At least, that's what Bill said."

"Bill?"

"My oldest brother. He's the cool one."

"Good to know. We need to go up to the Great Hall if we don't want to be late for MAGiC." Harry said looking at the time.

They were one of the first to reach the Hall. The four tables were cleared away and individual chairs and benches for each student were in the front of the Hall. The platform where the Staff table was supposed to be was where the four house teachers were. Harry wondered how Snape reached before them, but then saw the door next to Gryffindor's huge hourglass.

He sat down next to Ron who was in the second row. Hermione sat on his other side next to Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, who were already were sitting and waiting for the others.

"What are they going to talk about? How will they teach? There aren't any textbooks to refer to. Why aren't there any curriculum books for one of the most important reasons of having our magic?!" Hermione asked, a little frantic.

"Jeez. Calm down. They'll tell us." Ron grumbled.

"Easy for you to say! I'm a muggle-born. I'm just getting into the know of Hogwarts. You've lived your life knowing about everything."

"Trust me. You still know a bit more than me." Ron said giving out a laugh.

"How can you say that?" Hermione asked, scandalized.

Harry let out a breath and decided that it was rather unwise to sit in between them. They seemed to have opposing points on everything.

After ten minutes, when all forty first-years were present, Professor Sprout called out, "Settle down, please. We're about to start."

Professor Flitwick gave a slight bow to her and stepped forward. Harry leaned around Padma Patil, a Ravenclaw, and listened attentively.

"How are wizards different from muggles? We have magic. This magic comes from a core within us. To understand this completely we have to cross a few years, but now we're here to learn the basics of what you have."

He hopped down from the platform and started walking around the Hall.

"Every wizard or witch has a certain entity within themselves. This entity hosts the Core magic. It is the purest kind of magic ever found. It cannot be created by us for it is within. Many attempts have been made with disastrous results. Some accidental discoveries have been made while working on the functioning of the Core.

"For example, Felix Felicis, a potion which gives the drinker excellent luck for 24 hours was accidentally found in the remains of a cauldron after the explosion of 1876 in June. Ardwek Junight, a researching potioneer, nearly died in the blast, but by…ahem… sheer luck, managed to escape out alive."

"Filius…" McGonagall muttered and he gave a small chuckle.

"Yes, yes. Now, Core, as such, has been divided into three broad classifications. Physical, Elemental and Psychological. Physical Cores are such that their entity represents an enhanced version of one of our physical aspects. Such as the way each one of us appears on the outside. The different functions we carry out, probably every day, is completely different to what these wizards can do.

"Is there anyone here who has already found out that their Core is Physical?"

Harry looked around. A fair few raised their hands.

"If you'd like, why don't you share with the class?"

Lisa Turpin, next to Padma, stood up and stammered, "I…uh… well, I can change the temperatures of the room. I can make it hot or cold depending on my mood."

"Hmm." Professor Sprout said, smiling and continued, "Most people would say that particular power of speech comes from the mind alone, but it is actually based on reactions of what happens around her.. A very powerful witch in the making, Ms. Turpin."

Lisa blushed and muttered, "Thank you, Ma'am."

"Elemental Core usually appears during times of dire necessity. Just like how elements in nature always form a balance in the environment, the people with these Core types are rather rare. There are the four main elements, of course and many sub-elements caused with the interconnectivity of the two or even three element types. It may be too much to wonder, but any Elementals here?"

Harry hesitated for a second before raising his hand. Ron looked completely at ease as he casually raised his hand too. Everyone stared at the two of them.

Including the teachers.

Harry knew why they were shocked. Last time there was a group of Elementals, it was during the first war against Voldemort. Nearly all of them had been wiped out.

McGonagall cleared her throat and said, "Psychological Core is said to be the most powerful. This is because of the vast number of abilities within the classification. This power comes from the mind and can be considered dangerous if used wrongly. Any here with such magic?"

A fair few raised their hands. Dean, Seamus, the Patil twins, three other Ravenclaws, six Slytherins and two HufflePuffs.

Snape had a slight expression of pride as he looked at the Slytherins and Harry saw him smiling at Draco Malfoy, who had raised his hand. The way the Potions Professor smiled seemed quite endearing. As if he truly cared for Malfoy. They must be related or family friends.

"Examples, if you wish, of course."

Dean stood up and said, "I ask people to listen to themselves."

The way he said the words, his tone and voice was normal, but it flowed through Harry making him think about his treasured memories. A particular one stood out. When Percy and sneaked up on both him and Sally and poured water down their shirts in their Cabin in Cristy Beach. The whole afternoon was spent in chasing each other and resulting in breathless laughter.

Harry shut his eyes tight and opened them to see Dean smiling. Harry looked around and saw many people with slightly glazed eyes.

Flitwick blinked and said, "Wonderful!"

Dean beamed at him and sat down. He shook Seamus' shoulder and the boy jolted up.

"Ron? Ron! It's not real!" Harry said to shake the red-haired Elemental out of his day-dreams.

McGonagall made a small wave with her wand and everyone snapped out of it.

"I think you've understood the Cores. Each wizard's Core is connected to the external world. But this is in the case of Physical and Elemental only. The Psychological Magic within a person can be entirely from imagination at a young age or from watching others. Now, tell me, what are the types of magic which cannot be seen as a Core for any Wizard or Witch?"

A few people raised their hands. Harry knew what she was talking about. That had been in chapter 24th in the book, 'The MAGiC of Magic!'

She gave Hermione a chance, who jumped up to say, "Of all the Magic in our lives, none can harbor Love, Time and Quintessence."

That had been the exact sentence from the book.

"Correct. Three points to Gryffindor. Love, Time and Quintessence are those immeasurable quantities which cannot be represented through a single person's Core. It is far too powerful and flows on its own accord. They are called The Unreachables. They can, however be used through our magic. These three quantities can be utilized for certain purposes. Any examples?"

Harry didn't know much about this. Love could be expressed through families and people every day. But that wasn't what Professor McGonagall was asking. Time?

Hermione had raised her hand again.

"In 1535, Serena Lectus, found a close relation between Wednegh Sand and the flow of Time."

"Yes, she was able to use the sands to control the time around her and she actually jumped seven minutes in the future. Five points to Gryffindor." Professor Flitwick said.

"She had splinched herself, though." Harry muttered and raised his hand.

"Elixirs. Aether was used for two types of Elixirs out of which only one succeeded." Harry said.

"And which one was it?" Flitwick asked, smiling.

"Elixir of Life."

"Good, another five points to Gryffindor! Can you tell me, though, who was the person who succeeded in this?"

Harry stared. He had no idea. The book had only mentioned about Elixirs in the passing.

"No matter, you'll learn, Mr. Potter. Now everyone take out a parchment and write this down."

The rest of the class was spent in going through fundamentals about using wands without Cores and how that was different. Harry felt that this class was the best by far. They were learning about the History of Core and its progress through each turn of the century.

They left at 5 in the evening and Harry and Ron left their bags in the dorm and went out to the grounds. Harry was quiet as they made their way through the students loitering around the lawns laying on the grass.

Ron pulled Harry towards the lake and grinned at the large water body.

"Cool, isn't it?"

"The weather's actually quite warm." Harry commented looking up.

"I meant the view of the Black Lake." Ron muttered and walked right into the water without rolling up his pants. Harry stayed away as he watched him and realized that he had been right. Water was Ron's Core.

He couldn't believe that there was an Elemental right before his eyes. One of the first four, none the less. No wonder the others were shocked.

On top of everyone staring at Harry, now everyone would be talking abut his Core too. He wonder if they had guessed it.

"The water's nice." Ron said and Harry shook his head.

"No, thanks. By the way, Ron, you said before that I'm supposed to remember you." Harry said walking to sit next to one of the large shade trees. A young oak, taller than the Maple tree near outside Harry's window. The Oak must have been at least three decades old.

"Well, yeah, during the war, all the good guys kinda stuck together, you know." Ron said a bit blasély. Harry raised an eyebrow and inclined his head. Ron sighed and said, "Your Mum and my aunt were best friends at Hogwarts. They kept in touch after leaving school too."

Harry waited but Ron just sat in the water which came up to his waist.

"You said on the train that there were nine people in your family. Is it a joint family?" Harry asked wanting to keep him talking.

Ron said, "No, My parents and seven kids. I have five brothers and one annoying little sister."

They were quiet and then Ron continued, "My dad works in the Ministry. Been there for a long time. Mum's always with us and she makes the best chocolate fudge, ever. And she's nice to everyone but the bad guys."

Ron stared at his reflection and frowned a little. "Bill's the oldest. He left Hogwarts a few years ago. He's a curse breaker for Gringotts and travels to Egypt and Persia all the time."

"That's amazing." Harry said imaging a red haired man cast spells to break down walls to get treasure from the Egyptian tombs.

"Does Egypt allow that?"

"Only in tombs where all the gold was stolen by the kings. It's really awesome."

"The kings were called pharaohs." Harry said and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Next is Charlie and he's two years younger to Bill. He's in Romania. Learning about dragons. Studying them. He loves those huge beasts."

"Dragons? I bet he had that fascination since he was little." Harry mused, thinking about the fire-breathing, dangerous reptilians.

"Yeah! How'd you know that?" Ron asked surprised. Harry just shrugged.

"Um, well. Next one's Percy. He's the fifth year Gryffindor prefect. He really wants to get into the Ministry and become the Minister. Unfortunately, I can picture that really easily."

Harry nodded thinking about how the both of them had brothers called Percy. It couldn't be a coincidence. Sally had named her son Perseus Dylan Jackson. Perseus after the only Greek hero who had a happy ending and Dylan for her father.

"What's Percy's full name?" Harry asked suddenly. Ron who was making small ripples in the water without moving said, "Percival."

"Hmm. Then it's your twin brothers, right?"

"Yeah, Fred and George. They're third years. They are completely opposites to Percy, thank Merlin. They laugh around and joke but they're really nice. Just don't get on their wrong side. You don't want to know what they can really do."

"Uhuh. And your sister?"

"Ginerva. She's a year younger. There's none more irritating than her. Except for Percy, of course."

"So your home has always been packed full. How was it? Living with so many people?"

"A bit crowded to be honest. But there's nothing to regret, actually. Everyone has a place at home." Ron said and then turned around to face Harry.

"What about you? I heard that you went to live with your Mum's sister's family."

"I didn't like it much. Probably never will. Muggles are nice, but my aunt, uncle and cousin hate magic."

"What?!" Ron asked shocked. "How can you hate magic?"

"They never really understood, I guess. If you see a bunch of people in slightly traditional clothes talking about stuff with made up words, what would you think?"

"I'd that they were nutters. But that's only because Fred and George's images just popped in my head when you said that." Ron said grinning. Then he looked serious, "Did they hate you because of magic?"

"Well, yeah. We never got along."

"And you still stayed with them for ten years!"

"It's not like I had a choice, huh? But the neighbours were nice." _Only two people in the area, actually_.

"Oh, okay then. Actually a lot of families wanted to take you and…uh…"

"Me and Daniel, right?" Harry asked and Ron stared.

"Do you know everything that I'm going to say? Why do you even bother asking?"

"Sorry for interrupting, Ron. Please continue." Harry said politely and a brown leaf fluttered down from one of the branches above. It landed on his leg and he picked up to examine the veins.

"Well, yeah. But the Ministry over-ruled them and you were sent to the nearest blood-relative."

"Daniel's in an orphanage, though." Harry frowned.

"I'm not sure about everything, though. Dumbledore wanted to take the both of you but the Governors said no because he was too old for having kids around the house and such stuff."

Harry thought about as he turned his leaf around. Dumbledore didn't want them to be separated. He had no choice either.

"Oh." Harry said.

Ron gave him a look of sympathy and said, "You know? Bill used to tell stories about all of us playing together. During the war, there was this group of people on the Light side. Dumbledore was the head. So whenever they met, three of the adults were appointed to look after all the kids. That poor guy would almost be exhausted to death by the end of the meeting or planning."

Harry looked up, "How many kids would be there?"

"Ten in total. It was a bad time to be have kids. They had lots of protection around the houses."

"Do you know the others?" Harry asked.

"Yeah! There was Bill. He was the oldest and was twelve. Charlie was nine. Then Percy who was five. Then Fred and George. They were three years old. Then me, Neville, you and…"

Ron stopped himself and Harry said, "Say it. I know about her."

Ron cleared his throat and continued, "Um…me, Neville, you and Rose. Neville's actually a day older than you. After that, Daniel and then Ginerva. They were only a few months old. Apparently, we were a force to be reckoned with."

Harry tried to imagine ten kids run around from room to room with only three people to look after them.

"That sounds… hectic?" Harry tried. Ron laughed.

They were quiet again. They seemed to be relaxed in their element and then Ron asked, "So how did you find out about Daniel?"

"The day Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley to get my books and school equipment. He told me the whole story."

"So you know everything?" Ron asked.

"Yes. Even Voldemort."

Ron flinched and Harry frowned, "It's a name. A fake one at that."

"Really! That's not real?" The older boy asked and the younger one shook his head.

"Can you imagine a mother naming her child, 'Voldemort'?" Harry asked and Ron looked a little troubled at Harry's casual remark of the name.

"I thought that you of all people would be scared to say it." Ron admitted.

Harry shrugged, "Thought wrong then."

Ron stared at Harry and then asked, "Do you…you know…have the…the…"

"The What?"

"Scar." Ron whispered.

Harry looked at him and decided that he was only curious. "He pushed his hair bangs out of the way to show the dark black scar which resembled the letter 'h' in a lightning bolt mark.

"Wicked!" Ron said and grinned before wiping it out, "I…I mean…"

"No, it's okay. Percy said the same thing all the time." The words had slipped out before Harry could stop himself. Ron stared. "What?"

"I didn't mean your brother. I was taking about my…neighbor. He liked it." Harry thought furiously. He had to learn how to conceal things better.

"Oh. I can't picture my brother saying anything like that so…" Ron just shrugged again and looked up at the tree.

"Why are you so pale?" He asked suddenly and Harry started.

"Been like this for many years." He muttered and looked back at the leaf he clutched.

"It's like you've never seen the sun. It's white, mate!" Ron said suddenly and Harry grimaced.

"Yeah. I don't tan."

"Oh. You look a little unhealthy. Are you alright?" Ron asked looking concerned and Harry replied, "I've always been like this. It's okay, Ron. No big deal."

Ron stared and he opened his mouth when they were interrupted.

"He's probably right. Your colour is quite unnatural."

Harry turned around to see Hermione clutching her bag and standing under the shade of the tree. She had changed into casual wear while they were still in their uniform.

"What do you want?" Ron asked. Hermione frowned, "Just a place to relax and study."

"Study?! It's the first day of school!" Ron exclaimed.

"So? Does that leave me to frolic around in the lake and have a cup of tea with the Loch Ness Monster?" She shot back.

Harry decided that she was right. Besides, he had to find out who created the Elixir of Life. He wondered why the teachers hadn't assigned him to find it out specifically. But it didn't matter.

Harry stood up and said, "I'm going to get my books."

He took out his knut and started flipping it as he looked around the huge scene of students laughing and playing about. From the slight height, he could see nearly everyone until the turn of land which headed into the forest. Maybe he'd go their tomorrow.

Harry left the duo still arguing and knew that if he went back after sometime, they'd be in the same situation.

…

**This came a bit later than I thought. The tests were on top of me and I had to study. Wish me luck for my Chem test tomorrow!**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It turned out longer, but hey! I don't see anyone complaining!**

**Stay tuned next week!**

**Cabba.**


	9. Oranges!

**He he he! I'm a little evil here…**

_**RedRangerBelt**_** – We will all learn more about Core magic when Harry attends his classes. Snape and Harry are a lost case!**

_**tiger1lily**_** – You'll understand Sally's actions in the coming future. Sirius will be breaking out when he gets a certain newspaper clipping, don't worry about that.**

_**KingslyKnight**_** and **_**theHuntress101**_** – Thankyou, I think it went rather well!**

_**Juli Beawr**_** – The mysteries and adventures will certainly be sped in this universe. Hmm. Threatening Malfoy with the Knife… not bad…**

_**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**_** - When you're fantasies are written down, I'll be there!**

_**gryff by heart**_**(anon) - **** Yes, Harry will meet Sally and Percy. He will be closed off at first but no one can resist the power of cookies!**

_**E J ect**_** – Thank you so much, that meant a lot to me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP series. JKR does!**

**Words – 3881**

* * *

Harry's dreams were determined to not let him sleep. When he was in the land of the unconscious, images floated around and he was compelled to look at them. Remembering Mum and Percy, everything Hagrid and Ron had told him, wondering about Daniel, the weird feelings that Bolt had when they were near Quirrell and Snape…

Harry sat up straight as though he was electrocuted. His bracelet was warmer than usual. He shivered as he gingerly touched the bronze charm around his left hand. In the darkness, there was some luminescence just out of his peripheral sight. He hated it when that happened. Harry squinted at his clock but it was much too dark.

He wondered if there was a simple spell to make a small part of a room brighter. May be if he just wanted some light, it might come?

He took his wand from under his pillow glad that wands were unbreakable by physical force. He held it tight and shut his eyes. Light, he needed light. Remove the darkness. Get sight back. The first sense…

He opened his eyes and felt a little disappointed to have the black room greet him. There had to be a way to get magic out of him with having to say the word. Maybe it wasn't just about saying words and waving his wand. There was obviously a deeper meaning to the words than he had thought. He wondered if he knew the word and thought about it in his head, would it work?

He lay back down on the bed listening to the snoring of the other boys. Idly, he wondered if he snored too.

He lay there for a few minutes before angrily getting up and pulling away the sheets. He got out and decided to take a walk around the grounds.

Putting on his jacket along with fixing his hair into his cap and coaxing Bolt awake he took his wand and put it in the loop fixed inside his jacket. All wizard made clothes had latches or clothe hooks or a small pocket wand holder attached to the robes or coats. It was perfect for the wands. Harry went down and Bolt adjusted herself on top of his right shoulder.

He went out the portrait hole and the Fat Lady jerked up from her slumber.

"What are you doing?" She asked shocked to see up at such an unmerlin hour.

"Walking. Well, I was, but now I'm talking." Harry said and noticed her looking at Bolt. She didn't say anything but her frown made him justify, "I have permission from the Headmaster."

She stared at him smartly and asked, "Permission to walk at this time of the night or to have a dog?"

"The latter. But there's no rule against walking to the grounds in the morning."

"The grounds! But the doors are locked." She said. Harry blinked, "When will they open?"

"Um…I'm not really sure. But it can't be open now." She responded. Harry stared at the large window and saw light streams of orange light through the dark sky.

"The sun's about to rise. I'm sure it will be open." Harry assured her and walked down the stairs. He went at his own pace. Every time the staircase ended at a midway level or a floor, there were two iron armoured knights with long spears and sword sheathes. Harry was pretty sure that there were real swords in it. The tip of the spear looked very sharp and dangerous.

Harry stopped at the ground floor and looked up at the knight. He wondered if the knight would come to life he tried to take the spear or sword. Deciding that if the knight did attack, it would be good practice for him. He hadn't fought with anyone for a very long time.

He gripped the handle of the sword. It felt large and Harry knew that it would be heavier than his preference.

He stared at the metal mask as he slowly took out the sword. There was a sound of metal against metal as he slid the sword out of the grip.

He took it out completely and stared at the knight which was motionless.

Harry looked down at the long sword and saw his face reflected in the large blade. He touched the cold steel and experimentally tried swinging it. It was nearly ¾ of his height and his wrist ached after a few twists. He sliced the air with a quick move and nearly jumped when he heard a shriek.

"_What in the name of Merlin's mother are you doing boy?!" _

Harry stared at the ghost of a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties. She had silvery long hair and her clothes were a bit torn about but were made of elegant material, probably silk. Her gown was probably made before the Victorian or Elizabethan Eras. Her regal face had a scowling expression and Harry realized that he had nearly missed her with the sword.

"You could get hurt with that!"

"No. I know how to deal with these. But they are a bit too heavy for me. So…" Harry replaced the sword back into the knight's sheath.

"You shouldn't take weapons just like that! Heaven forbid if you had impaled yourself!" The lady said and Harry sighed, "I'm very sorry for alarming you, Ma'am."

She sniffed haughtily and said, "At least you have manners. You're not a lost cause then. Please never do that again. The children of this age aren't used to swords as they were in my day."

Harry was interested. But he couldn't just ask how old she was or when she had died. So he contented himself with the question, "Is it true that Staffs were used centuries ago before wands became more popular?"

"Many, many centuries ago. I have never used a Staff myself. But my Uncle Manfred Ravenclaw did." She said as if she hadn't been thinking about what she had just told him.

"Ravenclaw? Are you related to the founder, Rowena Ravenclaw? Did you know her personally?" Harry asked trying not to sound persisting. The ghost only smiled mysteriously.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Now go back to your dorm, please."

Harry wanted to interrupt her but Bolt yawned and Harry decided to let her sleep for a few more winks before starting the day with the others.

He looked up to see the ghost float through a wall to his right towards the library. He wanted to go to the place ever since he realized that the very large room had a charm to accommodate much more books than it looked to be. But he turned around and walked back the seven floors to the Gryffindor tower.

* * *

_To DJP,_

_I'm in a school meant for us. You'll be coming here, next year. It's a beautiful place. Consider it as a boarding school a hundred times better than the orphanage. You'll be spending seven years, here. _

_I'm planning on asking Dumbledore to get permission to visit you. When we were sent away, he was against the decision to have us separated. I suppose I misjudged him a bit. I tried asking around for ways to leave the school from reliable sources, but there are defences which not only stop ill-intenders from coming in but also prevent us from leaving without official permission. Any ideas on how to approach the subject?_

_Let me tell you more about us. We used to have many family friends. There's a sports trophy with my father's name on it. Your father was more studious and I'm trying to learn more about them._

_I've made some friends. _

_I met Ron on the train. The train takes us from Kings Cross to the school. The nine hour ride is perfect for making acquaintances or getting back with friends. While there are others ways to travel (Fire is one of them, I'll explain later.) the train seems to symbolize the journey of growing up from a child to an adult at the end of the seven years._

_Ron is just older than me and has already gained my approval. He has a large family of six siblings and two parents. By the way, he has a younger sister, Ginerva. She'll be joining school with you next year._

_Ron has a cousin, Neville. He in our year and is a bit shy, but he has a good persona. _

_We have dorms for four different houses in the school. The dorms are based on years and since I am a first year, the room is on the first floor of the house location._

_In my dorm, apart from Ron and Neville are two other boys, Seamus and Dean. Spending seven years with these four boys would be something to look forward to._

_There are hundreds of students just like us here and the teachers help in every way they can. _

_In case you're wondering, the owl's name is Hedwig. She has an attitude and please do not underestimate her. Give her some time to let her relax before replying. It's a long way off._

_Looking forward to your response,_

_HJP._

* * *

"Here you go, Hedwig." Harry said and watched as she leapt off from his outstretched hand and flew into the open skies. His letter was firmly in her…talons.

For a seven month owl, she was quite mature. Except when Errol entered the room, of course. Ron's family owl always pushed her to the limit and she'd sit only on Harry's shoulder have small conversations with Bolt.

The Wednesday evening saw Harry sitting, as usual under the largest tree by the lake. The branches were spread around and the tree was obviously planted to give shade.

Ron was sitting in the water. While this would have made someone's head turn, Harry was used to it after two days. Ron was never wet. The water responded to his thoughts and he was happiest when he sat in the lake. He was also happy when they sat down in the Hall for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but that's another matter entirely.

"I don't understand why people are looking here." Neville mumbled and Harry turned around to see many students suddenly look back into their work.

"They're looking at Harry, Nev." Ron said and levitated a ball of water a few inches above his hand.

"Do you command the water? Or does it just flow with your mood?" Harry asked putting down his book, 'The Trick of Charms.' He automatically adjusted his cap which held his hair down over his forehead.

"I'm not sure. I think it responds to me when it wants, which is whenever I want. I don't order it." Ron said and then looked at him, "I don't want to be rude or anything, but you said on Monday that you were Elemental."

"I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did. When Sprout asked about Elementals in class, you raised your hand!"

"Yes, I raised my hand. I didn't talk about it." Harry reminded him and Neville chuckled as he leaned back against the Oak tree. Ron sighed, walked back to dry land and plopped down beside Harry.

"I'm bored." He said in such a way that it made Harry remember Percy's way of irritating Harry. It didn't help that Ron's Core _had to be Water_!

"Hmm." Harry said and went back to his book. Neville stroked Trevor's back and then hesitated before saying, "So, Harry, how have you been?"

Harry looked up and stared at Neville who fidgeted. The boy looked like he didn't want the silence to take over.

"Well, I was a little lonely before I got my letter. But after I did, my mind went into a tirade of questions about the situation. Since I had no clue, I sent a letter to Dumbledore –"

"You sent a letter to Dumbledore?!" Ron asked shocked.

"Yes, it isn't illegal, is it? By the tone of your voice, I feel that I just broke the law." Harry asked, oblivious to Neville's look.

"No…uh…I mean…did he write back?" Ron asked anxiously. Harry nodded, "Quite adequate his response was. He gave me specific instructions and didn't leave out any loopholes. I like that in a character."

"Oh." Neville mumbled, "Then what happened?"

"Well, I sent a letter through an owl which seemed to hear my magic call. At least, that's what I think. So the next day, Hagrid came, scared the heck out of my relatives, listened to what I had to say and took me to Diagon Alley. He immediately came into my list of respected people."

"Yeah, Hagrid has the way of having people trust him. He's great like that." Ron grinned.

"He lives here, right? Do you know which floor?" Harry asked staring up at the Ravenclaw Tower.

"He lives in his own hut on the grounds. I've been there once. It was really nice and I would have liked it if it wasn't for the flobberworms." Neville muttered at the end.

"Flobberworms? But they aren't native to Scotland." Harry commented clearly knowing that they preferred tropical forests.

"Hagrid has all sorts of animals that he breeds in the Forbidden Forest. Some are nice, some are unbelievable, but the rest are really unbelievable! You wouldn't believe what he has in there!" Ron said loudly.

Harry turned towards the forest and stared at the trees. To anyone else, the darkness through the large canopies would have been very ominous. Sometimes, the wind came from the forest itself as if there was something huge in it which was breathing hard. Or maybe, it was the trees. They looked tall, motionless and dark.

Harry felt that it was one of the most beautiful sites he had ever seen.

"I think I would. Shall we pay him a visit?" Harry asked and got up.

"Sure."

The three boys walked towards the stone bridge and crossed it. Harry took out his knut and began to flip it. The sonorous sound of the coin echoed through the tunnel along with their footsteps. Harry looked down out of the bridge and saw the vast canyon type cliff. It seemed like ruins.

Ron noticed him looking, "There used to be a river here, hundreds of years ago. It was connected to the Black Lake. But then, there was some landslide and the whole thing broke off and after some centuries, it…how do you say?"

"Eroded down? Water cuts stone over time." Harry said.

"They say that it was some wizard with the Core of the Earth. Can you imagine that?" Neville asked as they stepped out of the other end. The land sloped downwards towards a homey wooden hut with a large pumpkin patch with small pumpkins. Harry felt a little déjà vu as he looked at them. For a moment he almost panicked that he couldn't feel them in his head. But then he remembered that his shields were up. He had been shielding continuously for three days now.

He really wanted to open up to the greenery around. He was quite sure that the onslaught of connections from all the plants would stagger him. But the more he postponed it, the stronger the plants would push against him.

Harry thought, 'Some help, please.'

Bolt woke up and said, 'Finally! I thought you'd spend your life with those darn shields! You're not the only one suffering. I'm attached to you! I don't have a clue what I did in my previous life to deserve this! Alright, on my count. One, two, three.'

Harry reached out to his surrounding and nearly lost his balance. Everything crashed into his head and he almost dropped his knut. It was like a very bad blood rush of his brain after hanging upside down for a long time.

"Whoa! You okay, Harry?" Ron caught him and Harry blinked to get his bearings.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just been feeling a little off." Harry said and Neville looked concerned, "You sure? You look a smidge pale."

"He's always pale." Ron said dismissively after learning that Harry didn't like to talk about his skin tone.

Harry felt a little giddy. It was like he was a celebrity and all the plants and trees and flowers and fruits and vegetables and moss were craving for his attention and autographs.

He shook his head and stood up straight. "Seriously, I'm okay. Let's go see Hagrid." He walked into the direction of the hut and knocked on the large door.

There were sounds of scraping and then scratching on the door. He heard some whining and realized that it must have been one of Hagrid's pets. Probably a dog, by the sound of it.

" 'o is it?" A slightly rough voice came from the other side and Harry called, "It's me, Hagrid."

"Be righ' with ya, 'arry! Back Fang!" there was some struggling sounds and Neville said, "That's Fang, his dog. He's okay. But sometimes…"

Neville shuddered and Ron smirked reliving a memory and Harry didn't interrupt him. The door opened to see Hagrid's huge form wrestling with a large black dog who seemed to be desperate to get to Neville.

" 'ello, all. Good teh see yah!" He let them in and they sat on the large high couch like sofa.

Hagrid let go of Fang and the dog bounded towards Neville and put his paws on his shoulders.

"Yeah, I missed you too." Neville muttered and patted Fang.

Harry looked at the large dog with interest. Like Hagrid, Fang might have looked scary at first but he seemed to be a big softie.

"So, 'ow's 'ogwarts? Nothin' better than just walkin' around the castle feeling the good ol' days." Hagrid smiled blankly at the wall and Fang barked. The dog leapt on Harry and started licking him ferociously.

"Fang!" Hagrid cried and pulled back the dog by its red collar as Harry did his best not to open his eyes. His face was wet and stocky and his glasses were dangling from one ear. His cap had been knocked off. He felt a cloth being pushed into his hands and he rubbed he faced to get off the slime. He blinked and opened his eyes to see Ron snickering and Neville staring at him a little weirdly.

"What?" Harry asked, before pushing his glassed on to the bridge of his nose and fixing his cap.

"You smell and taste like oranges!" Neville blurted out.

The hut was silent. "Wha'?" Hagrid asked confused and then said firmly, "Down, boy!"

Fang dropped his head next to Neville's foot, but the latter ignored him.

"Seriously?" Ron asked.

"Fang said it, not me!" Neville said hurriedly.

Harry stared and then heard Bolt's voice in his head, 'Yeah, he isn't lying. That's probably his Core.'

Harry gaped at Neville, "You talk to animals?"

Neville blushed and Ron burst out laughing. Hagrid rolled his eyes at the sight and said, "Tha 's wha' they always say."

"Not talk. It's like I'm the only one who can understand what they say and they think that I'm suitable for their conversations." Neville said, his voice going low and his face turning red.

"That's remarkable. So, you can understand every word from every species in any continent?" Harry asked sitting up. Hagrid had something on his stove and that something was giving out such a strong smell that Harry wasn't sure whether it was tea or a very sweet egg cake.

"No, only a few animals. Like dogs, owls, toads, kneazles…"

"Don't forget flobberworms." Ron stage whispered.

"I can't understand flobberworms, Ron."

"You sure about that?"

" 'ere yeh go." Hagrid handed the three of them large mugs with…well, Harry wasn't sure what.

A sip told him that it was probably chocolate mixed with an unhealthy amount of tea powder.

"Er…Hagrid? What are we drinking?" Ron asked staring at the dark brown semi liquid.

"Tea, of course. Somethin' wron'?"

* * *

"I don't think he meant to do that on purpose, Ron." Neville said as they walked back through the bridge. The sun was about to set and its reddish ray gave the clouds picturesque hues. Harry liked watching them. He used to when he was in Surrey but now, it was a bit colder and this time of the day and Harry was sure that the coming Halloween would be horrible.

May be there were potions to keep one's body temperature constant. The Hospital Wing was on the Ground Floor. He could ask the Healer for nurse for advice.

Harry sighed as they walked across the grounds. There were a few older people loitering around.

"What do you think they're up to?" Ron asked and Neville and Harry turned to see Fred and George sitting someway off and comparing notes.

"Probably researching on their school work." Harry said as he fixed his cap again. Fang had given him a goodbye kiss and Harry really wanted to wash his face with clean water.

Neville and Ron gave Harry disbelieving looks and said, "One thing about the twins, they do not study like that. They're most dangerous when they're quiet."

"It's always the quiet ones." Harry said sighing as they walked into the castle's doors.

"I'm going to the bathrooms. You can go ahead without me." Harry said but Ron guffawed, "No, wait we're coming. I can't believe that you smell like oranges!"

Harry rolled his eyes as he went into the large room with mirrors. Standing by a sink, he splashed some water on his face.

Neville leaned back and said, "We have flying lessons tomorrow."

"Yeah, I can't wait for it! I just hope we won't be too tired. We have astronomy tonight." Ron reminded him.

Harry had just dried his face when he froze. He felt a tingling sensation. He put his glasses back and looked around.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry pressed his finger to his lips. The three boys were silent. Then they heard footsteps. Running footsteps.

The door to the boys' bathroom burst open and Hermione Granger came in, panting. She closed the doors and screamed when she came face to face with Ron.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked her angrily clutching his ears.

"Shush! Oh no, if it hears us…" She muttered and said, "Hide!"

"What?" Neville asked but then they heard it. Something being dragged across the floor. Harry smelt a horrible odour that was almost as bad as Gabe's had been.

Hermione whimpered and clutched her bag as she walked backwards.

"I was just leaving the Library. There was no one else. That thing just…" Her high pitched voice railed out..

"Quiet!" Harry hissed. The ground had slight tremors as if someone was banging a huge drum. Grunts were heard and were also getting louder.

The four first-years backed away towards the end wall. The smell was incredible.

"Where's the smell coming from?" Ron asked fearfully.

There was silence and then, with a roar, the door was blasted off its hinges. It flew towards them and Harry pushed the others down to avoid direct collision with the large wooden door.

Neville made a sound like a squeak and Hermione clutched Ron's hand in a vice-like grip. Ron's face was bloodless and Harry's jaw fell open.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! You're probably dying for the next chapter. I promise that it's going to come before the weekend. **

**Stay tuned, my little children!**

**Cabba.**


	10. Smart trolls and Flying luck

**9 reviews! I flew through the roof!**

**I know the update's late, but I hadn't edited out the letter and I didn't have time yesterday.**

**This is happens to be a repeated question. – Percy is not going to appear for some time. This focuses more on Harry's side of the story. I know that's what you guys haven't wanted, but that's how it's going to be. Trust me, you'll understand!**

_**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**_**, **_**theHuntress101**_**, **_**Juli Beawr**_**, ****Guest,**_**RedRangerBelt**_** – Yes, you guys guessed it right!**

_**Mythomagic-Champion**_** – Fire goes to someone else and I think you'll agree with me when you see who. Just because Ron's Core is Water, doesn't mean that he shares the talent with Percy. We're talking about two very different things. You'll understand in the future. (dramatic laugh)**

_**RedRangerBelt **_**– Don't worry about the visit. It's coming up. The friendship begins a little later. My story will be kind of Golden Trio centric. I'm just including Neville a bit more in the plot. Neville will learn more about his magic as he grows up in Hogwarts. All the characters will. The story about Neville and Flobberworms will come unexpectedly, I assure you.**

_**xXSleeptrainXx**_** – Welcome to my story! I'm glad you enjoy it!**

_**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx has written a one-shot (which she plans on adding a chapter) about Harry and Percy meeting after a few years. It's called, 'The Meeting.' Check it out!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own any related works of Harry Potter. JKR does.**

**Words – 3666 **

* * *

Standing at the door was a twelve feet tall, huge troll. Its skin had a grayish-green tint. Its hands were large and long and it had a huge knobbly club that dragged behind as it walked. Its legs were even thicker than the width of a normal sized tree. The troll wore a brown dirty coat like clothe and blue shorts with faded pictures of butterflies.

"Smell's coming from that." Neville said in such a voice that it could have been mistaken for Hermione's.

Harry, who had initially frozen, jolted up when Bolt said, 'Push them away, I'll distract it.'

She jumped out from Harry's shoulder and Hermione, Ron and Neville screamed.

Bolt landed on the ground and Harry stared as she growled at the troll. Bolt was not the tiny dog she had been before. She was larger than Harry and could easily outweigh Fang. Her teeth were long and sharp. Not like a werewolf, but like a very dangerous rabid dog that you wouldn't want to cross in the boys' bathroom.

'Away!' She growled at the troll, which roared and raised its club. The thick block of wood came smashing down and Bolt leapt onto the basins. The floor cracked and Harry pushed everyone to the corner.

"What…is that?! That dog…it came from you!" Ron spluttered and Harry clapped his hand over the red-head's mouth.

Bolt snarled and jumped towards the opposite end and the troll followed her leaving some space free for the four of them to escape.

"Go!" Harry hissed and they ran for it. Unfortunately, the troll turned suddenly and glared at Harry. It lunged blindly at him but Harry easily rolled away towards the entrance.

Harry realized that the troll was searching for him. The creature lifted his head and sniffed. Harry couldn't believe it. It was like it liked the smell of…

"Oranges." Harry breathed. This was not good.

Bolt leapt over the troll and landed next to Harry. She shouted, 'Move you lazy human! That thing like's your smell!'

A hand grabbed Harry' upper arm and tugged him out of the room.

Ron pulled him across the long corridor and the four kids and Bolt could hear the enraged roar of the troll. They turned around to see its club flying towards them.

"DUCK!" Neville yelled and the club narrowly missed their heads. Harry's cap flew off. He swiped it up as they ran around the corner towards the stairs.

"Where the bloody hell is everyone?!" Ron shouted as they climbed up the empty stairs. They just got onto the upper level, below the first floor, when the stair case shifted. The troll reached the bottom level and roared in indignation.

"I think we're safe." Hermione whispered.

The troll stared at them and ran the last few steps and leaped.

Harry hadn't read much about trolls, but he definitely knew that trolls did not have that much brains.

The troll barely landed on their level and there was no way out. The people in the portraits behind them screamed and fled. All the stairs had already moved away from them and they stared up at the towering beast.

Bolt barked. One loud burst of sound. She jumped in between the troll and them and suddenly everything changed.

Harry felt as if he was zooming very rapidly through space. The black mixed with his vision. Blurred images came crashing in and he shut his eyes trying to steady himself in whatever was happening. Everything was spinning, he was getting badly dizzy and then the scene righted itself and they tumbled out onto the ground floor.

Hermione made a sound like a squeak and covered her mouth like she was going to be sick. Ron and Neville didn't look any better. Harry, shakily, got to his feet and looked around. The troll was on the level between the ground and first floor. It looked completely confused and then sat down with a tremor-filled thud and started sobbing very noisily as if he had lost his best friend.

Harry turned around to look at Bolt, but she was tiny again. She yawned and plopped down and was about to go to sleep when Harry shouted in her head, 'What just happened, Bolt?!'

She jumped up and glared at him, 'I just flashed you from all the way over there! Forgive me for saving your lives but at least give me a few hours of…." Her voice trailed off as she snoozed.

"What happened? Why is there a Chihuahua here and why is the troll crying like that?" Ron asked a little hysterically.

"It's not a Chihuahua, Ron. Calm down." Harry said as he placed his hands on his knees to try and process his mind through whatever had just happened.

"Calm down? Calm down! You're telling us to calm down?! Did you fall asleep or something? We were nearly killed by a troll, a dog jumped out of your chest, we flew through a distance of twenty feet, I feel like getting sick and you're telling us to CALM DOWN?!" Hermione shrieked, losing it.

"_What on earth have you been doing_?!" Another voice yelled from a distance of and the four of them turned to see McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell run towards them from the direction of the Great Hall.

"Running for our lives." Harry said and pushed his glasses up his nose. His face was a bit sweaty and Harry had the urge to wash it again. He looked at Quirrell whose face kept twitching at the sight of the troll and at Snape who seemed to be leaning entirely on one leg. Harry noticed a few drops of dark red on the ground next to his robes and he immediately thought of blood. Was Snape's leg bleeding?

Quirrell let out a whimper as he stared at the heartbroken troll and held Snape's hand. Snape glowered at him and shook him off. Quirrell looked like he needed a new set of undergarments as Snape gave him a death glare. McGonagall was oblivious to all this.

"How did you escape the troll? Why is it sitting there? Why is it crying?" McGonagall asked jumping from one topic to another.

"Bolt saved us by distracting…er…" Harry turned to look at the troll. " …him. She teleported us here, leaving the troll stuck up there. He's crying because he can't see me."

McGonagall looked speechless and then turned to look at the others. "Are any of you hurt?"

They shook their heads. "Well, then go on to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey will give you a Calming Draught. And then straight to your dorms!"

Harry picked up Bolt and slipped her into his pocket. The other three got up shakily and Ron asked, "Why was a troll even there?"

"It escaped the dungeons. We're not sure how or more specifically who, though?"

"May be it got out by itself." Harry suggested. The teachers stared at him disbelievingly.

"He's smarter than you think. He actually thought it out before jumping on to the platform up there. His I. Q. must be above 30 at the very least." Harry said quickly.

They hesitated but then Quirrell seemed to recover enough to say, "Ok, then, ch..children. L…Let's go. Poppy wi…will be ve..ve…very angry…ind..indeed!"

Snape glared at the stuttering Professor but didn't say anything else as they left.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey was not happy. She seemed to be the strict caring mother character for the hundreds of students of Hogwarts. She looked to be in her early fifties and she moved with quick steps, her wand flicking every second or so to make the room warmer or bring in four flasks along with a bottle or for loosening the bed sheets or fluffing up the pillows some more.

She had a look of disapproval as she told them to lie down. The flasks of pale blue liquid were shoved towards them and the children drank in deeply. They let out a collective sigh and relaxed.

"I think they should stay here for the night. They're just eleven and they meet a troll not even one week into the school term! On top of that, they 're unscathed!"

Harry stared at her. It sounded as if she had expected them to be hurt. She really must have low expectations on the survival instincts of the students.

"I'm sure that we can sleep more soundly in our own beds, Madam Pomfrey." Harry beseeched and she tutted.

"That's what they all say. And yet half of them come back for Dreamless Sleep potions!"

"You mean facing trolls is a tradition?" Ron asked and the matron snapped, "You should see what else this school is harbouring! Too many secrets! I have been through enough generations of students to know that each year of students find their own hidden passages, trapdoors and vanishing tapestries. And you don't know the half of it!"

She actually seemed quite irritated. It made Harry wonder whether she had a row with somebody to put her in the foul mood.

Madam Pomfrey calmed though, though, after a few minutes. She agreed to let them all go back to the Gryffindor Tower with the promise that after dinner, they'd go straight to bed.

They walked over to the staircases, passing a few Slytherins on the way who stared at Harry, the latter ignoring them dutifully.

The troll wasn't there and Neville asked, "How do you think a troll got in?"

"Dunno. Probably Peeves; for a joke or something." Ron said and when they reached the Portrait Hole, the Fat Lady smirked and asked, "Password?"

"Caput Draconis." Harry said.

They boys sat by the sofa and Hermione stared at them strangely.

"What?" Ron asked a bit annoyed. Hermione frowned and said, "Nothing. I just happened to remember that only cats, owls and toads are allowed to be brought by students to Hogwarts."

She looked at Harry pointedly. Harry shrugged, "I've got permission."

"What are you complaining about? The dog saved our lives in case you don't remember!" Ron said exasperated.

Hermione sniffed and said, "Don't you think that it was a bit strange how a troll got in the same corridor that you were in?"

"What's wrong with me?" Ron asked affronted. Hermione looked around to see no one else listening in on them. She leaned in and whispered, "You're Elementals!"

Harry sighed, "I'm not sure why that's a myth that Elementals draw in animals. I know from personal experience that it's fact."

"Besides, Trolls aren't animals. They're a bit more dumb and brutal and stinky and huge." Ron said and Neville snorted.

Hermione huffed, "Well, today's events has just given me fuel to not be around you if I don't want to get killed or worse, expelled!"

She stomped up the stairs leaving Ron open mouthed. Neville just stared at her in disbelief. The prospect of getting expelled, being more dangerous than dying shook them for a second.

Harry turned to them and asked, "So, what else do you want to do before dinner?"

* * *

_To HJP,_

_A school? That sounds boring. Especially if you like it. But it has to be better than here. So I can't wait._

_Of course he'll give you permission! He our great great great great great great great great great great grandfather! Plus, he wanted us to stay with him and that makes him my third most favourite person! Just go up to him and ask. Or write him a letter. He'll love Hedwig._

_Your dad was into sports? That's so cool. Tell me more about mine._

_Your friends sound awesome. A nine hour train ride! A nine member family! Yikes! I'm jealous! Are you?_

_I can't wait to meet Ginerva. However weird her name is._

_You can travel by Fire! Or is that a code for something? Fastest invented rollercoaster engine?_

_Hedwig is the bestest bird ever!_

_Keep writing!_

_DJP._

* * *

Astronomy was intriguing in a very positive way. The Tower was the highest out of all four towers of Hogwarts. The large open area was comfortable for all twenty students (they were sharing the class with Hufflepuffs) with telescopes and tables for each student to keep notes on their parchments and astronomical charts. The large inky blue sheets were rather fun to fill as everyone discovered new bodies in the sky.

Their exhaustions had disappeared and once the students felt how it was, they were eager for the next class.

The next day saw Hermione take a 400 page book from the library and sit at the Gryffindor table to bore everyone by reading a sport game Quidditch.

Ron felt that it was the highest degree of insult to read in such a lecturing tone about the best game in the world which was already tainted by the fact that they would be learning along with the Slytherins.

"Typical. I just don't understand why they always insist on grouping us with those Slytherins for the best and worst classes." Ron fumed as they had to listen to the fifth version of Malfoy's flying abilities and how he nearly got away from muggles in helicopters.

"What's a helicopter, Malfoy?" Harry called and everyone laughed when the blonde turned pink.

Seamus snorted and said, "Me mam would always let me take me broom out on weekends. Spent the day in the air. Nothing gets better than that, mate!"

"Well, I once hit a hang-glider while flying on Charlie's old Flying Star and I was nine. The muggle fainted and I caught him just before the both of us hit the ground. Luckily, the broom hadn't broken." Ron said proudly and Hermione shut her book when she realized that no one had been listening to her read about a chapter, 'First Tips are the Grips!'

Neville grabbed the book and feverishly started reading in hopes of understanding something. As far as Harry knew, the former had never been on a broom because he had always been a bit of a klutz.

Harry wondered how his father would have been in the sport. Although, his question was partially answered by an old Quidditch trophy in the Trophy Room, he wished to know whether he could have such a skill too.

Flying. It seemed too far beyond his reach. The smell of the grass, the fresh air, the open skies, gliding around the air, feeling the wind greet him and seeing no contact with the ground… that would feel magical. No pun intended.

Harry finished his Pumpkin juice and tucked in Daniel's letter. It gave him a strange feeling every time he read his cousin's letter. He was like another version of Percy and that made Harry…satisfied?

No, no one could ever replace Percy. The same way that no one would ever replace Daniel.

After breakfast the first years made their way into vast expanse of ground. A woman in black robes stood there waiting for them. She had short, pointy, white hair with bright brown eyes that looked intimidating like a hawk. Twenty brooms lay in two rows on either side of her.

"Good morning class. I'm Madam Hooch and welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? All of you step on the side of a broom, raise your wand arm and say, 'Up.' "

_Straight to the point_, Harry thought as he stood on the left of one of the brooms. The broom was a bit old, with its twigs pointing in two directions. Fred and George had always complained about school brooms. Harry supposed that they could use some tuning.

When he thought of the word _tuning_, his guitar jumped into his mind. He hadn't touched it since he had arrived at Hogwarts. Vowing to practice it, he held his right hand over the broom and said, "Up!"

The broom jumped into his hand immediately. Maybe he did have Quidditch in his blood.

Ron's broom smacked him the nose. Hermione's rolled over the ground, Seamus's flew half way up, stopped and then hit him on his arm. Dean's flew almost beautifully into his grip and Neville's hadn't moved at all.

Harry wondered if the broom could sense the fear in Neville's voice which told everyone that he wanted to stay on the ground, no matter what.

"I want you to grip the tail firmly and position yourself comfortably. Your dominant hand should be further towards the end and there should be space between the hands." Madam Hooch said as she walked around correcting every mistake.

"Space between the hands, Mr. Malfoy! Otherwise there won't be proper aim and grip on the broom! Please don't tell me you have been flying like this before!"

Malfoy could barely hide the look of outrage as she pushed his hands apart.

"You can move them together only when you accelerate. Not at all times. It gives the wrong equilibrium to the system."

Ron sniggered and Neville managed a faint smile as he gingerly held his broom.

Bolt laughed and said, 'Serves him right!'

"Now, when I give the whistle, I want you all to kick off from the ground. Hover for a few seconds. And then come back by leaning forwards a bit."

Harry had assumed that by leaning forwards, the broom would start flying. Perhaps they had to be in motion already and leaning would get it faster. That was probably the trick. Lean forwards and push your hands together and zoom.

"One, two, three!" She gave a blast on her whistle and everyone flew about three feet up. Harry sighed. This was nice. The broom wobbled a bit, but the levitating business was not bad.

"Now lean forwards, carefully!"

Harry bent a little and felt the broom descent. Weight distribution.

"Uh…Madam Hooch?" Neville called as his broom went higher up.

"Mr. Longbottom!" She yelled as Neville suddenly shot up along with the broom. It seemed to have a mind of its own. It whirled around and dived down between the students and everyone screamed as they jumped out of the way.

The broom flew up again and went around the owlery. Many owls flew in disarray to see a human among them. Neville was holding onto dear life, his face white and his eyes shut.

The broom took him towards the stone wall on one side of the castle and went up so suddenly that Neville's robes got caught on a statue's staff. The broom went straight into the Forbidden Forest while Neville was hanging about forty feet up by his robe which was slowly tearing. He gulped.

The edge of the robe split and Harry reacted in a split second decision. He was already drifting on his broom. He gave a terrific kick from the ground and he flew up too. Harry heard Madam Hooch's scream and lots of shouting but that blew away when he realised that he was flying. It felt wonderful!

Harry knew what to and by instinct he pushed his hands together and leaned forward. He flew like a javelin towards a falling Neville, grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled the broom vertically upwards to avoid the wall narrowly. The broom jerked a bit and Harry and Neville jumped onto the roof of the Great Hall as the broom smashed into the Gryffindor Tower.

Neville buried his face in his hands unable to stop himself from shaking. There were whoops and shouts and claps from the ground the Gryffindors cheered.

"Neville?" Harry asked softly not exactly knowing what to do. He was sure that the boy was crying.

"Stay right there!" Madam Hooch shouted as she flicked her wand Neville broom came from the forest.

Another professor came onto the field and stopped Madam Hooch. They had an intense conversation and Harry realized that it was McGonagall.

He looked around trying to see something like a set of stairs. But apparently, the roof o the Great Hall wasn't accessible because there was no way out except for jumping off.

"You saved my life." A small voice said behind Harry and he turned to see Neville staring at him.

"I don't think you would have died. Horribly injured though, but nothing fatal." Harry said and Neville grimaced.

"Thank you." He whispered and Harry awkwardly patted his shoulder.

'Let's get you down, shall we?' Bolt asked suddenly materializing from Harry's shoulder. Neville almost jumped but then relaxed a bit.

"Hi." He said and then looked at Harry, "Can I pat him?"

Bolt growled.

"Her. Her name is Bolt." Harry said immediately hoping to calm the tiny dog. Bolt huffed and placed her paws on their hands.

The world spun and Harry shut his eyes. The feeling wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but he did wish that it was a bit pleasant. He felt blackness push through his eyelids and then felt soft grass underneath him.

Neville gasped, "Ok! I'm sorry, I thought you were a boy! Just don't do that again!"

Bolt looked a bit superior as she pushed her nose up and trotted straight into Harry's chest. Neville gaped and then shut his eyes.

"It went into you." He murmured and jumped again when Ron ran towards them and thumped him on the back.

"The both of you nearly killed me! That was brilliant! You okay, Nev? I didn't tell me that you could fly, Harry! You wanna see Madam Pomfrey, Neville? Just imagine what you could do with a proper broomstick!"

Harry wondered why Ron was switching between them but when McGonagall and Hooch came along with the rest of the class, he felt a little trepidation.

"Was that your first time on a broom, Potter?" McGonagall asked excitedly.

"That I remember, yes." Harry answered not understanding her expression of jubilation. Madam Hooch pulled Neville up and examined him for any wound while Ron helped Harry get up.

"Come with me. We need to meet Oliver Wood." She said and Harry had a feeling that his ever-changing luck had turned his way for once.

* * *

**Nice and long. Just the way you like it!**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter, next week!**

**Cabba.**


	11. The Mystery Begins

**Hey, guys! Yeah, this chapter's a bit short and that's because my time's being consumed by tests! I hope you like this. :P**

**RedRangerBelt**** – You'll learn more about Neville's Core later. The other questions are answered here.**

**Rinneko Tsukinomori**** – They're one of a kind, trust me. Trouble come to them waiting for a hug.**

**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**** – Hah! That made my day! Sure!**

**Weird'smyname**** – Thank you so much! I already PM'd you, but seriously! I stared at the screen like an idiot! Ten reviews! Whooo!**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to The Harry Potter series. They belong to JK Rowling and I am not JK Rowling.**

**Words – 4160**

…

"Seeker?! But…but you've got to be the youngest one –"

"In the past century. McGonagall told me. I wasn't sure to take it at first but then thought that since there was no other sport, I might as well get some fresh air and exercise." Harry said taking his scrambled egg.

Ron just stared at him and then shook his head, "I don't blame her for wanting you in the team. You were amazing! You just avoided the wall, you know? I thought you and Nev were pancakes!"

"I thought we had agreed never to talk about it ever." Neville muttered and Ron looked sheepish, "Sorry, Nev."

"But you're right. You've have skill!" Seamus said excitedly nearly choking on his lunch.

"Thank you."

Fred and George entered the Hall and spotted the knot of Gryffindor years. They went close to Harry and whispered, "Well done, Harry. The way Wood was talking, Gryffindor might bag the Quidditch Cup this year. You must be real good. I've never actually heard a bloke's voice go all squeaky."

Ron snorted and Harry thumped him on the back, "If you think Oliver went nuts, you should have seen McGonagall."

"What did she do?!" George asked, his eyes going wide at the thought of their strict, no-nonsense Transfiguration teacher jumping like a giddy little school girl.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Harry said unhelpfully and twins said, "We're on it!"

Harry turned back to see Hermione frowning at him. He stared back at her and she shuffled towards her Charms text book.

"We have double potions with the Slytherins." Harry said pushing away his empty plate which disappeared. Ron groaned.

"I think we will be doing what we discussed yesterday. The potion for curing boils. It's quite easy." Harry said hoping to cheer him up, but to no avail.

…

"The Redfir leaves are only to lessen the irritation. Two leaves with one stalk are enough. Anymore and the potion is simply ineffective. Which I'm sure the half of you will produce today." Snape called as he looked over the Gryffindors.

Harry was really starting to dislike his comments. Besides Redfir leaves left a slightly foul odour. He decided to add a drop of water along with the leaves to dilute the smell. The water wouldn't change the composition of a simple potion like this.

His potion turned light brown with floating mass of mist like substance within it. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have added the water drop.

He looked back at his book and wrote, 'No water drop. Causes suspension of liquid.'

He stirred the potion, but the suspension didn't dissolve. He stirred it counter clockwise and the colour lightened. This was better. Between every three clock-wise stirs, one anti-clockwise mix seemed to balance the potion.

Harry noted this down too and then put some of it in a vial. The smell was almost undetectable. He cut out his first sentence and wrote, 'One water drop with leaves and stir sequence.'

Harry looked up to see everyone still at work. Hermione was at the last step and her potion was a faint brown like his. Ron's was a bit darker but that only meant that it would take a longer time for the boil to heal.

He looked to his left to see Neville sweating as he stirred his thick solution. Harry sneaked a peak to look at Snape correcting Malfoy.

"Add the Croson sol, before the last four stirs, Neville." Harry whispered. Neville shot a panicked look at him and with shaky hands did so. The potion turned into a much better consistence than before.

"Potter!"

Harry looked up to see Snape inspecting his potion with a sour look.

"What is this?"

"My potion."

"How have you finished it so soon?" Snape asked with a dangerous tone in his voice.

"I started early." It was true. When the others were reading the instructions, Harry had already gone to take all the ingredients to start.

"Is it supposed to be like this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Is it supposed to smell like this?"

"No, it's supposed to have a sulfurous odour. I just tweaked it." Harry wasn't sure he should have said it like that because Snape made an angry purple Uncle Vernon look like a little kitten with a bow tie.

"You could have killed us all, insolent boy! What if the potion had become unstable? What if the heat had made it burn through the cauldron? What if it could have exploded? Ten points from Gryffindor! Detention! Tonight at eight! If I ever catch you 'tweaking' a potion again… you will sorely regret it, Potter!"

Harry stared as Snape 'vanished' his potion with a flick of his wand.

"What spell was that?" Harry asked, interested. Snape glared at him and shouted, "Everyone submit a sample of your potions with your names, on my desk, NOW!"

There was scrambling of bags and benches as the students hurried to place their vials in a holder box. Harry gave his vial to Ron and took his bag.

As they left the class, Ron started in another Snape rant, "That was seriously over-rated! A first year potion can't just explode, can it?"

"I checked the syllabus. First and second year potions can't explode. But some of them can melt cauldrons." Harry said nonchalantly. He was still wondering why Snape had been limping he whole time. His movements were subtle because of his billowing robes, but Harry could easily see the out-of-rhythm walk. "Why do you think he gave me detention?"

"You're not scared?"

"No. Should I be?" Harry asked curiously. Ron just gaped at him and said, "I think Snape has met his match! You were as cool as a…a…"

"Cucumber?"

"Yeah! I'd have been shaking in my knees if he glared at me like that."

"I've seen worse." Harry said shrugging remembering when Sally would sometimes glower at Gabe's back or at the Dursleys. There was nothing scarier than that.

"Snape was angry." Hermione said unexpectedly behind their backs.

Ron turned around and walked backwards, "Really?! What was your first clue?"

Hermione glared at him, "What I meant was that Snape was angry because Harry is now in the Gryffindor Quidditch team. First years aren't allowed and since Dumbledore bent the rule to let you, that didn't go well with him. Lots of people are jealous only because they think that Dumbledore favours you. Being related makes you his first priority."

"Well, they're wrong. Dumbledore and I haven't had a face-to face conversation. He gave the permission after he saw me fly around the pitch along with the staff and Oliver. Plus, Gryffindor doesn't have a seeker. No one was good enough for the trials." Harry reasoned and Hermione looked a little stunned.

"Wait, the Quidditch trials are already done?!" Ron cried out. Harry nodded, "Oliver wanted it early."

"I wanted to watch it." He mumbled as they entered the Great Hall. They set their bags down and Harry took out a new parchment roll for the MAGiC topic they were covering today – Shields.

Snape stepped forwards to start the topic.

"The doors of Cores are called Shields. Every magical person has a different type of Core but the Shields work in relatively the same way. I assume many of you to have reached out to your Core already."

A few nodded but some looked a little ashamed. Harry saw Hermione duck her head to look at her parchment intensely. He would have thought that she would already know what her Core was. Bolt confirmed that it was a powerful one. But not Psychological.

"For those fumbling idio –"

McGonagall elbowed past Snape and said, "Those of which have not discovered their magic source, I wish for them to stay back. It is of nothing to be ashamed. Several famous and powerful wizards have discovered their Cores much later. We will give you simple techniques to help you isolate your power. For now, who can tell me what the difference between true shields and pseudo-shields is?"

Few raised their hands but no one had enough enthusiasm to rival Hermione's. Ron coughed.

"True shields are those which stop our Core from being over-worked in ways like being used for too long or being contacted by magical disturbances in the area. They are used through one's inner magic alone and the longer the shield is in place the more tired the person becomes.

"Pseudo-shields are those which are cast by wands. They can be used to repel a mind invader or to prevent a physical being or object to come close. There is no direct connection to the Core."

"5 points to Gryffindor. You'll learn more about pseudo-shields in your second year. Does everyone have a copy of the 'Depths of the Core'?"

There were positive remarks and Professor Sprout instructed everyone to take the chapter, 'Protecting one's Magic.'

…

Harry rolled up his parchment on the Herbology essay and packed it in his bag. He leaned back against his bed post and wished that he didn't have detention. He really wanted to pluck a few strings. He had some difficulty in changing from F minor to A major. He was supposed to practice that tonight, but Snape was, as Ron had put it, 'A greasy bat that sucks the fun out of everything.'

It was about 7:50 and he decided to leave for the dungeons. Not knowing what he was supposed to take, he packed his bag with all the Potions books, two quills, an ink bottle, and enough parchments. He left the tower with a good bye to Ron and Neville.

'If he tries anything across the line, he won't have a hand. Don't worry, Harry.' Bolt reassured him.

'Thank you, Bolt.'

'I still think that you should have had your dinner before leaving for the dungeons. Who know how long he's gonna keep you there?'

'He does. Besides, I'll just have a late supper.' Harry pointed out.

From the ground floor corridor, he could hear near to loud conversations of the students in the Great Hall. He could also get the smell of the dinner and he hoped that detention wouldn't take too long.

Harry reached the door with silent steps and saw it was slightly open. He was about to knock when he heard voices from inside.

Mum had always said that eavesdropping was a bad habit but when Harry heard the word 'Fluffy' in Snape's voice, his Mum's words disappeared for a few seconds.

"…blasted dog. How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Snape asked and Argus Filch's voice came as a grunt.

Filch was the caretaker of the school and hated every living thing under the age of nineteen. And every living thing under the age of nineteen hated him back.

Harry slowly walked backwards. Evidently, Snape had forgotten about the detention. He wanted to hear more about Fluffy, the three headed dog, but felt that he was asking for trouble.

He reached the top of the stairs and then walked back down as noisily as he could. Dragging his feet over each step and whistling.

He went right down to the door and knocked loudly, "Professor Snape!"

Percy was really engraved into his head, because it was kind of thing that the younger boy would have done. But he knew that if it really was Percy in his stead, the boy would have skipped happily and called Snape's name in a sing-song voice.

"Come in."

Harry opened the door and stepped aside to let Filch pass through, who was holding a box close to him. The caretaker shot a dark look at Harry and left the room with his cat, Mrs. Norris following him.

'Can I say 'hi' to her?' Bolt asked.

'No.'

"You're late, Potter." Snape said looking down at the first year. Harry took a look at his watch and said, "Only by a minute…sir." Harry added, after a second thought.

"That's not an excuse."

"I know that, professor. Shall we get started?"

Snape glared at him and said, "Do you know why detentions are given?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"To correct what the wrong-doer has done in class, intentionally."

"And so, you will write a two foot essay on the how you could have gone wrong with that botched up potion."

"It wasn't botched up. If you have seen it, you would know that it was up to the mark. Decreasing the smell does not make it blast and by the way, the potions in our syllabus does not detonate however we tamper it because all of its ingredients are under-ministry regulation of batch C which means it's not acidic or basic enough to react explosively."

Snape looked right into Harry's eyes and the latter felt a slight headache. The cold, black eyes didn't have any light and Harry felt like he was in a dark tunnel.

"Do what I say." Snape said shortly and turned to sit at his desk. Harry noticed that he was limping less.

Harry could have written in a short paragraph but decided not to argue. The faster he wrote, faster he could leave.

…

It was just past nine. Snape had not been satisfied with the first four of Harry's essays and Harry had to rewrite them with a different approach to the topic of safety.

Bolt had been incredibly vocal about this and Harry was distracted by her announcements of killing bats in the dead of the night. But Harry's accomplishment was that Snape was still frustrated about how suave Harry's demeanor had been throughout the entire time.

The Great Hall wasn't empty at all. There were a few older students who had a late curfew and Harry just grabbed a few bites of his dinner before leaving. He didn't need another detention.

Harry entered the Common Room and saw Hermione writing her Herbology homework. Harry peered into her notes and said, "It's 'wolfsbane', not 'wolvesbane'."

Hermione stopped writing and stared at the word. She blushed and said, "Thanks."

He stared at her essay and asked, "It's longer than what Sprout told us to write."

"I didn't feel like leaving any points."

"She wanted us to write the main points. You can't write both uses of aconite. You have to write the most crucial one." Harry said sitting down on the ground, next to the fire-place.

Hermione frowned, "There's no harm in writing extra things."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "You don't know which the important use is, do you?"

"Of course I do! Aconite can be used as a poison –"

"Medicinal value, Hermione! That's the main one. Sprout told us in the passing. We're supposed to write about the herb qualities."

"She told us to write about the '_uses_', Harry. Not '_use_'." Hermione stressed but Harry shook his head.

"The uses of the most important application of aconite."

Hermione hesitated, "But, it doesn't matter."

"Medicinal field requires aconite mainly in the Wolfsbane potion."

"Hermione huffed, "I've included that!"

"That and the entire chapter. Anyway, Sprout will certainly give this essay the top grade; I'm just pointing out how to make it short and to the point." Harry said and got up to leave. His guitar was waiting.

…

Up, up, down, down, up, down. Up, up, down, down, up…

Harry had a slight frown as he continued the sequence of striking the strings. If he wanted to get the chorus of one of Lily Potter's songs, he had to get this right.

His fingers fumbled when a voice said, "That's really good, you know?"

Dean hadn't slept yet. Harry stared and had a strange feeling of pride. He focused himself on the situation and said, "Thank you, but please don't do that."

Dean sighed. Harry empathized with him. Years ago, it was hard to handle his core. Dean's was amazing, "It's a bit hard. I've only just realized a few days before I got my letter."

"Oh. Sorry, but it's really powerful. You just need practice." Harry said nodding and then asked, "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I could ask you the same question." Dean said smartly.

"And you have. But you haven't answered mine." Harry pointed out. Dean laughed. Seamus muttered something and tossed in his bed.

"I just sent an owl to my family. I was going to send one over the weekend, but I couldn't wait for it."

Harry nodded, "Must have been one long letter."

"Yeah. Probably longer than Hermione Granger's history essay." Dean said chortling.

Harry shrugged, "I'll give you that, mate."

History essays were the worst because the teacher, Professor Binns, didn't understand the concept of an aching wrist. Harry was pretty sure that Binns had no idea that he had students in his class. He'd just come and go through the walls for teaching all seven years of students. Oh, and he was a ghost.

"It's nearing eleven, though. Get some shut eye." Harry said putting his striker into the small pouch. He packed the old book and guitar into its trunk had shrunk it by touching the tip of his wand to a green dot near the lock. Self-applied charm. Just add magic!

"G'night." Dean mumbled and Harry replied back. Bolt gave a small yawn and jumped out to rest on Harry's pillow. He stared at her for some time. She was actually very cute to look at with her drooped ears, soft fur, snarky attitude and large light brown eyes. Actually, they were closer to a hazel shade.

'Yeah, you're gorgeous as well, get some winks.' She said and Harry closed his eyes and dreamt about shadows and ocean.

…

"No Potions today!" Ron declared happily as Errol left three letters, the Daily Prophet and a messy table.

Hedwig was a bit more graceful as she landed on Harry's shoulder and dropped a letter in his cereal. Thankfully, he hadn't added the milk yet.

"Thanks girl." He took the letter expecting it to be Daniel's but was pleasantly surprised to see an untidy scrawl.

Hagrid had invited them to tea again.

Bolt shot up at that and could barely stop herself from peeking out of his robe pocket. 'Can we? I want to meet Fang. He was much too involved with Neville and you.'

"Hey Ron, you want to meet Hagrid after school today?"

Ron shrugged and said, "Phof, fy nof."

"Ron, that is disgusting." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. Ron glared at her and swallowed a mouthful of porridge.

"Yeah, let's go, unless we won't have to drink that cake again. Nev you want to come along?"

Neville looked up apologetically and said, "Can't. I have some questions to ask about my magic to Professor McGonagall."

"We could wait for you." Harry suggested but Neville shook his head, "It'll take a long time. I'll come next week."

"OK, then."

The day went by smoothly, although, Quirrell was really beginning to irk Harry. The stuttering professor would sometimes watch him quietly but would immediately look away when Harry looked up. Plus, the smell from the turban was nearly as bad as the potion they had made the day before. Sulpfurous.

"Professor!" Harry as they were all seated. He had planned to see how much he could push Quirrell to the edge. He wasn't sure why he had wanted to do this, but he always had felt angry in the person's vicinity.

"Yes, Potter?" Quirrell asked politely and Harry was relieved that he didn't stammer.

"Forgive me, but I am a bit curious. From where did you get that turban? The material looks custom-made with magic."

The class stared at the turban and Quirrell's faced twitched before giving a small smile.

"This is a w…wond…derful pr…present from the state of Za…Zambia. I helpe…d them g…get rid of a…a…zombie. The Prince w…was most d…del…delighted!"

"How did you do that?" Harry asked over the mutterings of the entire class of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws.

"Oh…ah… that is a se…seemingly long st…tory for which we d…d…do not have the ti…t…time for. Oh! Wou…would you l…look at that?! There aren't an…any clouds!"

Quirrell said staring out of the window and the class followed suit but Harry frowned.

'Was it just me, or did that last sentence sound like he forced himself to talk like that?' Bolt asked and Harry nodded subtly.

"Well…we wi…will now open…open our bo…books to the topic of…of… er… wand magic!"

The double period was spent making sure that Quirrell would be absolutely wary of The Boy-Who-Lived. Harry kept interrupting him to ask doubts about rather out-of-topic points.

"Sir! What is the true origin of the connections between wand and words?"

"Professor? Why are there different wand movements for different spells even though some fall under a certain topic?"

"What is the point of using wands if we can enhance our Core through us with our minds alone? Shouldn't that be one of the subjects here?...Sir."

The class ended with an irritated stuttering Professor nearly slamming the door after they left.

"Why did you do that? I'm sure that we will learn more about everything in the coming years. You didn't have to grill him!" Hermione hissed standing in front of Harry, cutting of his path.

Harry shrugged, "We have to learn them somehow. And you would think that he would have told me about learning them in the future but he didn't. He let himself get angry as if he didn't know what to do. He was overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions that he let me waste his time and all ours."

"Exactly!" She cried. Harry sighed and walked around her. Ron and Hermione jogged to keep up with him.

"My point is that he didn't behave like a teacher. What he should've done was to tell me to talk to him after class or reprimand me during class or threaten to take points or give me detention. But he did neither of those. Which means he had something else on his mind. Something much more important than trying to answer the questions. And I intend to find out what."

…

Charms had been charming. They learnt about using a swishing wave of the wand to pull small objects towards them across the table. They used a long feather and had to concentrate on it.

"A small swish. And then imagine that your wand is connected to the end of the feather with a string. Slowly bring the wand in your direction and you should see the feather being dragged across the table." Flitwick said and walked around with the tip of his tall hat, the only thing in sight for the students in the tall benches.

"It's like there's a strand of spider web." Harry muttered as he watched his feather being pulled along with his wand. Ron let out a nonsensical sound and Harry stared up at him, his concentration fading away.

"Hate spiders." Ron muttered.

Harry nodded, not wanting to push into the topic. He saw Neville smile to himself before wiping it away when he caught Harry's gaze.

Transfiguration was rather uneventful as they had to write a summary of the basics of the subject in class. Ron was on Harry's left while a boy who introduced himself as Ernie MacMillian sat on the other side.

He had been a bit shocked when Harry had sat beside him. Ernie looked at the scar, or tied to look at it through Harry's fringe, in vain. He immediately cast his eyes down as he wrote as fast as he could, making mistakes on different spots in the parchment.

The class ended with McGonagall calling out Harry's name as the rest left. Harry gestured Ron to go and walked up to the teacher's table.

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Professor Snape has been telling how disrespectful you were in Potions." She said this like she didn't believe Snape entirely and this made Harry like her.

"I told him a slightly faster way of completing the potion instead following the book. He had a short temper. It blew up."

McGonagall looked confused, "When you say, it blew up…"

"I meant Professor Snape's temper and not my potion." Harry specified. McGonagall nodded and said, "Potter, how much ever you do know about the properties, I really think you should be more careful. I'm not saying that Professor Snape was absolutely right. I want you to make sure that you do not do it again under his gaze."

Harry really did like her.

"Yes, Professor."

"Good. And I'm happy to say that you are showing talent in every subject. The teachers have nothing but high respect for you. Do not bring it down with rash and unstable experiments at this age, Potter."

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you."

"You may leave." She turned back to her papers and Harry almost hesitated to ask whether Dumbledore shared this opinion as well. But then he thought better of it and left the room.

…

**Not much action? Well, wait for a few days and you'll get some!**

**Stay tuned for the next update within a week. After Sunday, though.**

**Cabba.**


	12. One step at a time

**9 reviews… Me likey!**

**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**** – I'll think about it. I have the complete plot set out of how Harry and Percy meet. But there may be a small intervention in year two.**

**RedRangerBelt**** – Harry's probably going to visit detention a bit more than his canon character. He might not learn much from Snape. Quite a few. You'll come to know in time.**

**tiger1lily**** – Harry quite some things that he's balancing around. He intends to do everything one step at a time and now he feels that Daniel is just as important as Percy and Sally, but not on the same level.**

**Weird'smyname**** – I'm stretching the mystery to a few months. You'll come to know about the flower soon. As for the 'cursed', they are going to come by one by one.**

**I've put up a one-shot called, 'Saving the World'. You may not understand some parts. But it is a part of the 'Pumki' series.**

**Disclaimer: I don't understand the fuss. It's quite simple. Rowling's a genius. Other than Harry's dimples, she owns everything. I put in the kinks. This is fanfiction. The words are of my diction. Everything you recognize, is from Rowling's dice.**

**Words – 4508**

* * *

_To DJP,_

_It's the weekend. And when I think about, it has been quite some bit of change from my usual weeks. _

_The school is truly wonderful. I think by know you've realized that some of my words may not make sense to you, but trust me. Everything happens for the better. Or so I've heard. I don't really believe in that saying, though._

_I don't really want to say out everything in a letter. By this weekend, I'll be able to confirm whether I'll be coming to your orphanage for a visit. I can do that only if Dumbledore lets me. Or if you allow me._

_I sense that there is some hesitance from you through your replies. I empathize with you. If you must know, I am actually waiting for a letter myself. I've been waiting for three years, but with no fruit._

_Not from you. No, I hadn't any idea that you existed. No offence in that, but you have felt the same about me. May be I should tell you a bit about myself._

_I'm a brunette with dark eyes and the height of an average eleven year old child. True, I may seem older, but that is just in my nature. My neighbor had once said that I was mature and she's quite right._

_I've been living with my mother's sister's family. My aunt is a thin and tall woman who has a permanent expression of having swallowed a bitter lemon. My uncle is rather like a whale, but that would be an insult to whales. I would say that he was a human-sized turnip, but then, that would be an insult to turnips. Their son is an abominable cross-breed between his parents as most children are._

_I have NEVER understood them nor have I taken any time to._

_They have hated me for as long as I have known. But for the past three years we've hardly exchanged any words. I've been grateful for the silence._

_There have been times that I wished I was in an orphanage. But then we would have been together that seems like the main authorities would not have wanted it._

_Not to change the subject, but how have you been? By the way your letters have been coming along, it's quite obvious that you hate your place. _

_Walt for a while. Have some patience and we will come and get you, Daniel. I promise this._

_Yours sincerely,_

_HJP._

* * *

"Take your time, girl." Harry said and raised his arm for Hedwig to extend her wings and take off from his forearm.

She let out an echoing hoot as she flew over the Quidditch hoops and disappeared into the sky. Harry stared at her and then looked around. He was in the middle of the pitch which was a bit bigger than a football stadium. Three hoops of different heights on either sides of the field. They were about thirty to forty feet tall. He squinted his eyes and decided that the tallest hoops were 48 feet high.

Or maybe 48 and a half.

There were four large towers separating the stands into four sections obviously for the houses. He supposed that the towers were for the staff and some other authorities. The grass was short and bright green. He felt a thin layer of magic over it.

Harry frowned. Magic was being used to keep the grass from growing. Nature shouldn't be restricted like that. He noticed that the charm was weak and realized that the grass here was used to growing only up to two inches in height. About two more decades and the magic wouldn't even be required.

Harry wondered whether he should complain and then saw that this was a better alternative to cutting them weekly or monthly. Still, it wasn't right.

He had already walked once, jogged twice and ran two times around the pitch. It was a good thing that he still had the stamina. Otherwise his muscles would start to ache by the evening or tomorrow morning.

It wasn't as if he forced himself to wake up for his morning exercise. Most nights, Harry couldn't even be lethargic enough to sleep. And the nights he did sleep were half filled with dreams and bouts of nightmares.

Last night, he had dreamt that he was having a cup of very sweet tea with a toad which wore a purple turban. The most disturbing part was the taste of the tea. He would prefer Hagrid's mixture of melted chocolate with tea powder to it. In the dream, he had pretended to sip the tea, while the toad croaked.

He flipped out Skothos. Gripping his wand in his right hand, he wondered what the best position was to align his hands so that he could strike without a moment's hesitation.

He decided that his wand should be in an offensive mode. That was actually the obvious thing. Which meant that his dagger should be clutched defensively.

Harry crossed his arms a bit. His left hand, a little high and his right hand over it. The arrangement wasn't bad. The dagger for close range strikes and his wand for long range and discrete attacks.

Harry pocketed them and then flipped them out as fast as he could. The wand hit his left knuckles and he frowned. The method of getting into his pose should be flawless in case of an immediate attack.

He practiced this for about twenty minutes before his hands movements were perfect. Twirling his wand between his fingers, he stared at the eleven inch stick. It had immense power, probably the one of the greatest wonders created by wizardkind. Shouldn't he feel the wand's magic? Shouldn't there be a tingling sensation.

He sat down on the grass and contemplated. His tingling sensations were not coming to him anymore. Before Hogwarts, he could feel everything that gave even a hint of magic trace. But his body must have gotten used to being at the school where there were bursts of magic at every corner.

Harry had to get back the sensation. He had to be able to detect it.

'May be if you spent more time with your Core, you would have figured this out, already?!' Bolt said haughtily which reminded him of Hermione.

'There's the forest.' Harry pointed out.

'Then what are you doing here?'

'Keeping fit.'

'I know that's good and all, but you need to be in close contact with the wild plants since you have the opportunity to do so!' Bolt all but yelled and Harry sighed.

'You're right.'

Harry looked over the horizon where the sun was half-seen as it broke into the morning. The obtuse rays of light streaked the thin clouds with reddish hues and Harry lay back on the grass.

'Take five.' Bolt said and Harry asked, 'Beg your pardon?'

'Take a five minute break, nerd.'

'Don't say 'nerd' in that condescending tone, please.'

'Sorry.'

Bolt jumped out and stretched her legs. She gave a big yawn and shook her fur wildly from head to tail. Ignoring Harry's frown, she licked her long ear.

'There's a lake.' Harry thought.

'You hate it.'

'So?'

'Since we're connected, I'm inclined to dislike it too.' Bolt said in a 'duh' voice.

'I didn't realize that.' Harry thought in surprise.

'Inclined to. Doesn't mean that I detest it. I'll check it out later. Did you know that there's a squid in it the size of a bulldozer?'

'I wouldn't be surprised if there was one.'

'There is and people call it the Giant Squid.'

Harry was quiet, '…Okay, there seriously is something wrong in the naming system of this world.'

* * *

"Hey, Harry." Ron greeted him as he sat down on the table. Since it was the weekend, no one wore uniforms. Noticing the casual attires of his roommates, Harry donned on his black jeans, T-shirt, hoodie and cap. He had a special attachment to the cap mostly because Sally had given it to him. But what he really like about it was that the cap was perfectly fixable over his messy hair such that the hair would be forced over his fore-head covering his scar perfectly.

"Good morning, Ron. Sleep well?" Harry answered and Ron nodded, "Of course I did. I always sleep the best on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. You?"

"Not as spectacular as yours, but still fine for me." Harry shrugged.

Ron looked over the table and said, "You said Wood's gonna take you to the pitch to tell you about the Quidditch rules."

"Yes. After ten. Fifth years have extra classes on Saturdays from 9 to 10 in the mornings."

"Seventh years too." Hermione said unexpectedly behind her DADA book. Ron looked surprise as if he hadn't realized that he was sitting across from them.

"What are you doing? Stalking us?" He asked albeit rudely and Hermione glared at him as she stuffed her book in her bag which she had brought along.

"For your information, I came here before you!" She got up and stomped away, leaving a red faced Ron.

"How can one person be so annoying?" He grumbled to Harry. The latter looked up surprise before shaking his head and going back to his breakfast.

"She's lonely, Ron. I see her talk to lots of people every day. She's just trying to make friends."

"She's going about it the wrong way. You can't just correct random people around you all the time. It turns them off." Ron said moodily as though his morning was ruined.

"Come now, Ron. She doesn't always correct people."

"Oh, really? Name one time that she didn't." Ron said. Harry looked at his watch.

"8:13 a.m."

"Huh?"

"She didn't correct me at 8:13 a.m. today, less than a minute ago. She gave additional information." Harry specified before finishing his toast. Ron stared at him, his mouth slightly open.

Harry looked up at the Staff table on a hunch and saw that the headmaster wasn't in his seat. May be he was busy on Saturdays.

"What's wrong?" Neville asked quietly and went a bit pink. He had become a bit farther from Harry after the Flying incident. He and Ron still talked on a daily bases but Harry saw him mingling more with the Hufflepuffs.

"Nothing. But do you have any idea where Dumbledore might be?"

"In his office?" It sounded more like a question than a suggestion.

Harry saw McGonagall get up and leave the table. He had just decided to go and ask her when a snide voice made him stop.

"Look at the Flying Flower Potter! Why frowning? Didn't anyone ask you for your autograph, yet?"

Harry turned and saw Malfoy sneering at him Crabbe and Goyle stood on either side of him.

"No one did. Do you want one?" Harry replied trying to understand the rudeness of Malfoy's tone.

"What? No! But get one for Weasel, here. He could get some gold out of it."

"Get stuffed, Malfoy." Ron said angrily getting up to stand with Harry.

"Wow! Look at the duo! Potty and Weasel. Representations of the group who taints the Wizarding World."

Ron glared at Malfoy. Neville tried to move behind Ron but Malfoy spotted him.

"Oops! I forgot LongBottom! Feeling left out? How was your flying lesson?"

Neville went red and Ron looked as if he was about to punch the blonde. Crabbe and Goyle snickered and Harry frowned.

"That wasn't very nice. Why did you say that?"

Being addressed so blandly took Malfoy off for a second. He stared at Harry and said, "Can you even see the big lump?"

"You're quite mean. May be if you apologized for your words, we can part way as completely well-meaning strangers?"

"May be, if you can get your brain working in that head, Potter?"

"My brain is working." Harry said slowly.

"Doesn't look like it to me!"

"There must be something clogging up in your head. Wait a minute."

Harry reached for Malfoy's hair and flipped his ear. The blonde jumped back and was about to shout when Harry announced, "Found the problem!"

Harry was holding his little bronze knut which he tossed into the air and caught it again.

"Wha –"

"Can you perceive me now, Malfoy?" Harry asked lightly.

Malfoy touched his hair as if some coins would fall out of it.

"Apparently not. Excuse me. I need to talk to someone with a little more manners. You can hold down the fort, Ron." Harry said.

Harry left the table and went around the corridors hoping to reach the area where the Teacher's door led to. Harry frowned as he reached the wall which was obviously right behind the Great Hall.

There wasn't any door. He stared at the wall. Running his hands over it, he understood that it was solid. Maybe the door from the Hall led directly into the Staff room?

He turned around and walked towards the staircases. As he crossed one of the tapestries, he heard something giggle. Harry stopped. The sound was high-pitched and was human. Harry waited there, motionless and heard the giggle again from behind the tapestry.

He pushed it aside and saw a painting of a large fruit bowl. He stared at all the fruits and then the portrait. He was about to leave when he distinctly saw the pear move.

Harry gave an intense look at it. He touched it and it moved. Strange. He felt the canvas smooth. Oil paintings were supposed have a certain texture to the surface, but this one didn't. Harry touched the lychee and felt the roughness. Then why was the centre part of the pear smooth? Had it been worn down?

On a hunch, he moved his finger over the pear and it giggled. He tickled it some more and the pear wriggled and transformed into a handle. Harry blinked. He clutched the handle and turned it. The entire painting moved outwards like a door. It was like the Fat lady's portrait except this one had a handle.

The moment the door opened Harry smelt the delicious scent of a great variety of dishes. Harry peered in. He heard the scurrying of tiny feet but couldn't see anyone. The room was absolutely big. As big as the Great Hall. It was bright as if there was natural light, but Harry didn't see any windows. He climbed down five steps and then walked around all the while keeping an eye on the door wondering whether it would shut him inside by itself.

Harry looked up at the ceiling which was only two feet above his head. He walked around the entire room. There were four large tables exactly like the house tables in the Hall. Harry looked at the end and saw a raised platform with another long table. It was arranged as the Staff table.

Harry hesitated. What if this was a meeting for some invisible people? He wondered if there were crowds of people staring at him and decided to leave when he heard a small squeak.

This time harry was more determined to find out what the sound was. He walked around the entire room and saw a partition that he hadn't seen before. A thin wall with an opening on both sides. On the top of an opening, the word, 'ENTRY' was written and on the other, the word, 'NO ENTRY' was written.

Harry went through the first one and stared at the new room. Here were many kitchen islands, sinks, plate holders, stoves and many other vessels around the place arranged very neatly.

Harry had just found the kitchens.

He supposed that it was run by a group of invisible people who were shy and also scared of him. By the height if the ceiling, he supposed that they were invisible dwarves.

"Um…sorry for starting you. I'll just leave." He felt a little awkward as he went up the short stairs and closed the painting. The pear turned into a handle again and Harry adjusted the tapestry.

He went up the stairs towards the third floor when water fell over his head. Harry spluttered out some and looked up to see a small translucent man in a bright multi-coloured suit with a wicked grin.

"Hello, Potty! You looked a bit pale! Though you needed a refreshing bath!"

He dropped the bucket he had been holding and Harry caught it.

"Thank you, but it wasn't necessary." Harry said and removed his hoodie to wipe his face. He walked towards the stairs and jumped when the poltergeist whistled into his ear.

"Where are you going?" The poltergeist asked and Harry said, "Upstairs, Peeves. What are you up to?"

"Nothing." He said happily in a much too childish voice. He floated around Harry in circles trying to make the first-year dizzy but it didn't work.

Peeves huffed and then took out some powder from his pocket and threw it at Harry's face. Harry ducked and the powder fell on a knight's armour. Immediately the knight came to life, dropped his spear and started sneezing.

With every sneeze, his helmet kept flying up and falling back to the neck.

Harry wasn't exactly sure what to do. Peeves was clutching his stomach and laughing.

Finally with one last sneeze, the entire suit burst out and Harry ducked and dodged the flying pieces of metal.

"Historic!" Peeves cried and Harry took out his wand. He had read about the repairing spell which could fix broken pieces. He wasn't sure whether it would work on his first try.

He pointed his wand at the armour and imagined it rebuilding itself back to its feet.

"Reparo." The pieces moved about bumping into each other. They climbed over each other until the leg was sticking out of the head piece, the other leg and an arm were in the leg's position, the torso was the above the head and the other arm and sword sheath were positioned as horns.

Peeves roared in laughter. Harry sighed and then had an idea. He pointed at Peeves and imagined the poltergeist being connected to the tip of his wand with a spider web. Harry swished his wand and then swung it like the base of a whip.

Peeves laughter turned into a scream as he found himself being thrown past the corridor and through the wall where he cussed as he flew right into the lake.

Harry stared at the opposite wall and said to himself, "That was fun."

He turned to look at the jumbled up knight. He saw the other knights snickering but they immediately stood straight when he turned to fully look at them.

He pocketed his wand and disassembled each part. The pieces were heavier than he had expected.

It took a full ten minutes to fix each part. Then, Bolt help him straighten the knight. Harry picked up the spear and touched the iron tip of it.

"I think your spear's awesome." Harry said and fixed the spear back into the knight's grip. He thought he saw the knight stand up tall.

"Sorry for the sneezing powder." Harry said apologetically. The knight didn't move.

He was really getting side tracked. Harry had just wanted a word with McGonagall.

'You're wet.' Bolt remarked as she jumped onto his shoulder.

'Yes, I am.'

He knocked on the staff-room door. Hearing a "Come in", he went into the huge room with a whole section for each teacher.

Rolanda Hooch looked down at Harry and smiled, "Yes, Potter?"

Harry really didn't want a fuss, "I just wanted a word with Professor McGonagall."

"Minerva! Gryffindor first year for you!" She yelled and McGonagall yelled back, "Right!"

"Segment C. On your right."

He went into the room. Some of the professors smiled at him and others just looked curiously. Harry nodded at everyone.

"Professor? May I come in?" He asked knocking on the door. It opened to reveal his House teacher sorting out papers into a file.

"Potter? What is it?" She asked looking a little surprised.

Harry wasn't sure how to approach the topic. "I was just wondering where the headmaster is."

McGonagall said, "In his office. He has a meeting with one of the ministry's employee."

"Ok. I just thought he wasn't here. Do you know when he'll be free? I want to talk to him."

"I'm not sure." She said and then narrowed his eyes, "What's wrong Potter?"

"I just wanted to talk. Actually, I wanted to ask him something."

"Like what?" Her tone was a bit softer and Harry was explicably reminded of Sally Jackson. He himself wasn't sure why, though.

"Um…family stuff." Harry muttered. McGonagall nodded.

"I'll give him a word and he'll call you, Potter. When he's free." She took out her wand and pointed at him. Harry's eyes widened and he was about to react when his clothes suddenly became dry. He felt a bit warmer.

"Thank you, Professor." He said and she called out to him as he left her office, "Try not to run in with Peeves!"

* * *

The box, or trunk, floated right in front of Oliver Wood and Harry as they walked into the Quidditch pitch.

_Locomotor Trunk. _That was the spell the Captain had used. There wasn't any wand movement and Harry couldn't wait to try it out.

"Right." Wood said as the trunk settled itself on the ground in the middle of the pitch. Harry noticed that it was quivering.

"Now, Quidditch is easy enough to understand even if it isn't too easy to play. There are seven players on each team excluding the reserves. Three of them are the Chasers."

Wood opened the trunk and Harry saw two bats, two black balls which seemed to be straining through their chains and a bigger bright red ball, smaller than a basket ball.

He took the red ball and threw it to Harry.

"That's the Quaffle. The three Chasers have to get the Quaffle through one of those three hoops on the opposite team's side. Ten points for every score.

"The fourth player is the Keeper, that's me for the Gryffindor team. My job is to stop the opposite team from scoring by guarding our team's hoops. I have to stay within that perimeter drawn on the ground."

"That's called circumference." Harry pointed out and Wood blinked.

"Yeah. Then we have two Beaters." Wood took the Quaffle from Harry and gave him a short baseball kind of bat. Harry felt nervous.

"For your safety." Wood said casually and bent down to press a small spot on the chain of one of the black balls.

The ball zoomed up thirty feet into the air and then back down at them. Wood moved back and Harry thought that he should too, but he swung the bat and the ball collided with it. It flew straight through the centre hoop.

"Not bad, Potter. You'd make a fair Beater." Wood said impressed. Harry looked at the bat and said, "I don't think so."

They looked up at the ball which came at them like a bullet. Wood whipped out his wand and gave a small movement. The ball slowed down. He took it and locked it up again.

"How did you do that?" Harry asked keeping the bat in.

"Every captain should know that spell. These balls are called Bludgers. Nasty little things. The two Beaters use their bats to defend their team against the two bludgers while trying to hit it to the other team's players. But you don't have to worry about them."

"Unless they crack open my head." Harry muttered.

Wood hadn't heard him. He had reached down to the inside upper part of the box and opened a golden emblem of the school to reveal a small gold ball.

He took it out and gave it to Harry.

"That is the Golden Snitch."

"I like this one." Harry said. It was small, but seemed to be the most important one.

"Oh, you like it now. But wait until it takes off. It's wicked fast that most people can't even see it. This is your job. You are the seeker. You have to weave in and out of the Chasers, Keepers, Beaters, Quaffle and Bludgers to catch it before the other team seeker. Once you catch this, the game's over and the team usually wins. It depends on the points. But most of the time, the game goes to them."

Harry stared at the golden ball which spread silver wings and hovered over his palm.

" You catch this, Potter, and we win."

* * *

Harry walked up to his dorm with slow steps thinking about the team practice next week. Wood was a bit of a fanatic when it came to Quidditch, Harry had just discovered.

The room was empty and he figured that the others were at lunch. Harry sat on his bed and decided to check how much homework he had left when he saw a long and narrow parcel on his trunk. There was a letter tied to it.

He removed the strings and saw that the envelope was faint yellow and was made from durable parchment. Harry turned it over to see the seal. In cold red wax were intricately designed symbols which Harry supposed were in Latin. But he could clearly make out five letters.

The letters_ 'A.P.W.B.D' _were in a cursive writing.

_To H. Potter,_

_I realize that you're in need of your own broom as you have decided to join the Quidditch Team. Though, I had been rather wary of your skills, I'm now quite satisfied with your performance. It is not of the custom to admit first-years into the sport at Hogwarts, but the decision by the Staff had been unanimous._

_The headmistress has put in that you wished to talk to me. You can come by my office through the gargoyle on the sixth floor anytime after 2 o'clock. I really do appreciate your preference of treacle tart._

_By your leave,_

_A.P.W.B.D._

_P.S. I find treacle tart quite mouth melting._

Harry slowly set down the letter and looked at his bedpost. Dumbledore was willing to talk to him. He hadn't expected a quick reply like that. He wasn't exactly sure how to feel. Excited? Satisfied? Nervous?

He looked at the brown package and carefully opened the covers. The first thing Harry saw was the end of the broom which had long twigs fixed perfectly in one direction. The colour of the body was light brown with a shine that made him sigh. The wood was straight, and his hands could easily grip it. It must have been adjusted for his size. Harry saw the front end of the broom where there were gold letters which wrote, '_Nimbus 2000_.'

Harry had just lifted it out when the door opened and his four year mates tumbled into the room. They had been talking about the colour yellow when all of them stopped short to see Harry holding the latest, best and the fastest broom ever invented.

* * *

**A bit too long? I think 'Weird'smyname' is right. But I'm rather comfortable with this length. And as I've said before, the length of my chapters depend on the content.**

**I agree with 'E J ect' on the fact that some stories don't have a break for the characters. As amazing as the story is, I feel a little normality, even for someone like Harry Potter, should be present.**

**I hope you liked this. You probably had been expecting something related to the stone, but I want ot bring in a story here, not just a mystery.**

**Stay tuned for more!**

**Cabba.**


	13. Untold Lies and Hidden Truths

**Crickey! 100 reviews exactly! Yippee!**

**I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. I'm completely booked with so much stuff. **

**xXDaughterOfAthenaXx**** - Thanks, your review made me feel better about my chapters. Truth be told, I haven't read all the Fowl books. It didn't get me. May be, I'd feel some deep connection to it like I had with HP and PJO…**

**Guest**** – There were? I spell checked this chapter and let's hope there aren't any mistakes. Thanks for reading!**

**NoTagBacks**** – Welcome to 'The Cursed.' Of course, Dumbledore wouldn't tell Harry the story of how he got in. He's too over protective. (Not manipulating!) Did you read the prequels to this? It had been fun writing them! Many others enjoyed it.**

**RedRangerBelt**** – Thanks, the answers to your questions lie ahead. Read, my child.**

**Mae – Percy is not going to appear for at least three years. There I said it! I know some of you wouldn't like that, but that's how my story goes. Bear with me!**

**Weird'smyname**** – You made my day with your review being the 100****th**** one! First time, in like ever! The action will start soon. Stay tuned… (Hey that rhymes!)**

**Announcement! - I put up a second chapter to my story - 'It Hurts' - previously, 'Being Percy Hurts'. This one is about Harry's troubles and the lullaby that I made in about 20 minutes!**

**Disclaimer: ( Sigh ) I may own a room full of…stuff. I may leave some shiny or in dust. But HP is something that's not mine, it's Rowling's.**

**(What? Did you think that it would rhyme?)**

**Words – 4375 (approx.)**

* * *

Harry stared at the two Gargoyles which seemed to guard the giant bird of prey statue between them and behind some space. He was sure this was the entrance. But there was no door, no opening, no window, no tapestry, no fake wall, no painting or no gate. Just the majestic statue of the hawk with its wings spread in the small circular area.

Harry frowned as he looked at the feet. There seemed to be a line on the floor, like a neat crack. Was the floor supposed to slide?

Harry took out the letter again. There had to be of getting into the office. May be he had to lean against the wall. That was ridiculous.

'Password?' Suggested Bolt.

'May be.' Harry thought as he re-read the letter.

The only thing that stood out heavily from the letter was…

"Treacle Tart." Harry said aloud and a low grinding sound made him look up. The hawk's statue was turning upwards as if it was a screw. Part of the floor was rising in spiral step formation.

Really? Treacle tart?

Harry slowly stepped on the raising staircase. It was just like a muggle escalator, except this went in coils. He looked up to see the circular ceiling come closer until it stopped about fifteen feet away. Harry was facing large double doors.

Knocking on them, he heard a faint, "Come in."

Harry opened the door which creaked a bit dramatically before revealing a vast room filled with various paraphernalia. There was a circular balcony which overlooked he grounds, many shelves for books, spaces for large assortments of silver instruments some of which made whirring sounds, one puffed out blue smoke, another let out humming sounds. He looked up to see a domed ceiling with scores of portraits of elderly wizards and witches snoozing. It was early in the evening. Why were they asleep already?

Harry looked straight ahead and walked to a one-step platform where a large mahogany desk lay and behind it a grand empty chair with soft leather on the seats, arm-rests and back rests.

'He may be old, but I still think that he's going to jump out of nowhere to scare us.' Bolt said and Harry sighed.

'First, why on this green earth would he do that? Second, I don't get scared. Third, he's right over there.'

Harry gestured to the balcony where Albus Dumbledore had been standing. Harry was quite sure that he wasn't there when the young boy had entered. The headmaster turned around his eyes lit up when he saw Harry standing there.

"It's quite good to see you, Harry." He said amicably.

Harry hesitated. He wasn't sure whether he should go along with this to convince him to let Harry visit Daniel. But he didn't want to be giving out a false impression.

"I'm not sure whether I can say the same, sir." Harry said in a low voice and Dumbledore sighed.

"Take a sit, please." He said as he walked around the desk to sit in his place. Harry pulled out one of the soft chairs and tried to settle down. Why couldn't he calm down? It wasn't like him to be worked up at this level.

"Sherbet Lemon?" Dumbledore asked as a glass bowl of yellow coloured sweets hovered next to Harry. Harry stared at him and slowly took one. It seemed like something Sally would have done to get Harry to settle down.

"So, how is our conversation going to begin?" The Headmaster asked lightly. Harry chewed slowly and then said, "It begins from the start, Headmaster. What really happened to the Potters?"

Dumbledore's shoulders slumped a bit as if he was expecting something positive.

"Bad luck. Very bad luck."

"Luck?" Harry asked feeling angry.

"It was dark times, Harry. Trust was a rare object and it was our bad luck that we placed ours in the wrong being." Dumbledore reasoned.

"I need to know what really happened, sir. I know that you know a bit more than all the speculations going around in the communities and books."

Dumbledore had sworn not to tell Harry too much. It wouldn't be right to do so. The young boy may feel ready but he wasn't.

"The truth is something you should know. But it is not the time. I shall not lie, of course, for those questions that are answerable."

"Every question is answerable." Harry took a deep breath to settle himself. He leaned back into his chair and said, "Why did you leave Daniel at the orphanage?"

"I had no choice. I had no legal right to take custody of either of you. The ministry regulations for child placements clearly stated that a magical child should be with kin who were capable of taking care of the young. Since I have no experience in that field for decades…"

"It still wasn't right! He isn't happy there! Why wasn't he sent with me?"

Harry stopped himself as he felt his blood run cold. He clenched his fist and said, "Didn't we have any other kin?"

"Well, yes… but the Ministry declared them not… to put it in lighter terms, not capable to take in a child."

Harry gaped at him. "Them? There are more?"

Dumbledore should have watched his words.

"A story for another time, Harry."

Harry couldn't believe him.

"What are you willing to tell me, then?" Harry demanded wanting know why Dumbledore kept these from him.

"Depends on your questions."

Harry frowned. May be he had to phrase his queries differently. "Have you ever visited Daniel?"

"Yes."

Harry and Dumbledore stared and the former asked, "After he had been shifted to the orphanage?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't sure." Dumbledore suddenly looked cautious. "He was much too young when he had been there. He hadn't shown any signs of magic yet. There was too much uncertainty. But I made sure that he was safe, there."

"Really? As safe as in, 'all kinds of wards and protections safe'?"

"Yes."

"So, he was in the same state of security before he ended up there?" Harry knew he shouldn't have said that as Dumbledore's expression hardened for a second.

"Yes. But he also had an advantage, there."

"And pray tell, what was that?"

"_Impudence_!" A voice suddenly cried from above and both looked up to see one of the portraits in stiff black robes glaring at Harry.

"No student of mine would ever have the audacity to respond to me in that tone!"

"Thank you, Phineas." Dumbledore sighed and then said, "The orphanage was the last place anyone could have expected Daniel Potter to be in. He was safe from prying eyes of all wizards especially those loyal to Lord Voldemort."

Harry started. He hadn't expected Dumbledore to say You-Know-Who's name out loud. He felt the respect for this man rise a bit. But then, as he thought about it, the plan of sending two infants away from the Wizarding World was rather good. No one would think of looking there except for people very close to the Headmaster and the Minister for Magic themselves.

Harry slumped back.

"That's… clever, I suppose, but, wasn't it a gamble?"

"No, Daniel has the best defenses from multiple wizards with Psychic cores."

'Psychic' was another word for 'Psychological'.

"What about me?" Harry wanted to know more about the shield. He had guessed that he should have been able to see it and thus had no wish to tell this.

"I have seen to it that the both of you are very well concealed from those necessary." Dumbledore said vaguely and lightly pressed his finger tips together.

Harry reached for another sherbet lemon. "May I?"

"You may."

Popping that into his mouth, Harry asked, "Am I allowed to see Daniel before the start of the next year term?"

Dumbledore seemed to think heavily before saying, "There is no rule against it. I would recommend you to stay in the castle, Harry. Daniel is quite safe."

"But he doesn't like it there." Harry said carefully. Dumbledore frowned, "No one liked the decision. Several families were ready to take the both of you in, but considering the circumstances, you were far too much in danger. It wasn't a question of whether you would enjoy being where you were."

Harry looked at the thick maroon carpet on the ground. He almost wanted to ask why he wasn't sent with Daniel, but then let that be. If he had gone to the orphanage, then he would never have met the Jacksons. Or maybe, they would have lived right next to him.

"You haven't answered my question fully, sir."

Dumbledore looked beside him, at an empty bird perch, like the one Hedwig had, but larger and grander with a fixed platter just below it, probably to hold water.

'Or ashes.' Bolt thought.

'What?' Harry asked. Bolt didn't respond.

"I can see that you truly do wish to see him. In the near future. Possibly, during the Christmas holidays."

Harry's head snapped up. He hadn't expected the Headmaster to give in just like that.

"You're surprised?" Dumbledore gave a small chuckle.

Harry pressed his lips together from retorting.

"So, during Christmas, I can meet him in person? Sir?"

"That is what I just said." An amused Headmaster replied. Harry tried to act more adult.

Harry let out a breath. His chest felt light.

"When is your Quidditch training scheduled for?" Dumbledore asked unexpectedly and Harry had to blink once to come out of his thoughts.

"This Monday. Then, Friday and Saturday. Three times a week, but I suppose, they will increase when the date of the first match gets closer."

"I hope you'll do your best. Your father was the captain in his sixth year. He was a chaser."

"I know that." Harry said and then asked slowly, "How well did you know him?"

Dumbledore let out a small chortle, "Well enough for him to try to see how much he could push the rules. The entire staff is quite relieved to know that you are more like you're mother. Some have been expecting the opposite."

"They sound like opposites." Harry muttered.

"They were. Everything sorted out in the end. It was a blessing to see them quieter in each other's presence."

Harry frowned. The way he talked about his parents; was it so surprising that they got together? What had people thought about them? What did people think about him?

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked sensing that the boy felt troubled, "I am not judging you. You are your own person. A wonderful one, in my biased opinion, but nevertheless, you have risen high above the expectations of the many."

Harry looked at the light blue irises behind the half-moon glasses. There was a twinkle in the old man's eyes which made Harry feel strangely proud of himself.

Dumbledore noticed this small reaction and smiled, "You look so much like James, Harry. But the eyes. They're Lily's."

Harry let out a stiff breath and nodded.

Dumbledore leaned back and asked, "So, how was your first week at Hogwarts, Harry?"

_Threatened a talking hat, saw the sinew of a ghost, listened to Bolt talk about dark vibes, saw an evil-looking turban, walked on the grounds at four in the mornings, nearly got beat up by a troll, teleported through the stairs, saved Neville, got into the Quidditch team, made enemies with Malfoy, Snape and some Slytherins, made a friend with an Elemental with Water Core, threw Peeves through a window, got a Nimbus 2000 and the Family Book. Oh! And practiced the guitar._

"Quite a change from the Dursley's life style, I must say." Harry answered.

They were quiet for a while and then Harry said, "Thank you for the Nimbus, Headmaster. It was slightly unexpected, but I'm grateful."

"I suppose it was a way of trying to start a healthier relationship, Harry." Dumbledore said slowly.

"Buying me a broom, doesn't actually show much, does it? But I appreciate the thought."

Dumbledore blinked. He hadn't expected Harry to not like it. But at the same time, Harry had felt compelled to say thanks.

"I suppose, it was rather materialistic of me. But then, this is a better gift." He took out his wand a gave it a small flick.

A book flew from the upstairs room and settled on the table in front of Harry. It was quite thick and had red and brown markings in Latin. The book was quite large and there was no name on it.

Harry looked at the Headmaster who looked back at him expectantly. The boy slowly opened it and the first page was blank before letters appeared.

'_THE POTTERS_'

Harry looked up again and turned the pages. At first they were blank, but then words appeared on them.

The next page had an index. As topics, there were names like Potter, Black, Longbottom, Malfoy, Weasely, LeStrange, Dumbledore, Diggory, Bones, Scettle, Avery, etc.

Harry looked up nonplussed.

"Books like these usually reside in Pureblood and Half-blood families. They are charmed to hold close to limitless information on the status of each member of the particular family to whom the book belongs to."

'_Libro Familiae'_ was written on top of the index.

"It tells everything about the Potters?" Harry asked.

"Under some restrictions. Some wizards may use magic to conceal some of their aspects from such books. Some information, at times, disappear on their own will if classified under the Department of Mysteries."

"Department of Mysteries? Let me guess. That is where they keep the deepest secrets of magic?"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I'm not an Unspeakable, but I've heard rumours that it houses portions of the Unreachables."

Harry gaped. "Isn't that much too unpredictable?"

"And highly dangerous. But for the past four centuries, since there hasn't been an explosion, they remain as it is."

Harry nodded and looked at the book.

"It gives more information if the last name from birth is a Potter. You can look into anyone as long as they haven't restricted it and they are related to you."

Harry stared at the book. "Are you giving it to me?"

"It rightfully belongs to you. Just as the key to the trust fund of the Potters is kept with you. I have just been allowed to hold it until it is supposed to be passed on to you."

Harry turned a few pages and came upon a 'Donald McAdams'. Dumbledore stared at the upside-down photo of his grand son-in-law and sighed.

Harry pretended not to hear it as he read about the man who died fighting in the Black War which had been led by Gellert Grindelwald.

'…given the greatest rights of being buried with his wand and cloak, he is fondly remembered by his wife and family as the Green Ghost of Godric's Hollow.'

Harry frowned.

"Is it a ritual to be buried along with wands? Sir?"

"Yes. Since the wand always chooses the wizard, it is only apt to do so. No other person would find it suitable for use."

"When I went into the family vault, I saw a trunk full of wands. They were quite nicely preserved. Weren't they supposed to be buried along with the owners?"

Dumbledore looked like a unicorn caught in brambles.

"There are exceptions, Harry."

Harry shut the book. "Are they negative exceptions?"

"Quite."

Harry looked at the Headmaster and stood up, "Before I take my leave, I'd like to tell you something, Headmaster. I am not a child. Please do not treat me as one."

He walked back to the door when Dumbledore said, "You will know when you are ready."

Harry placed his hand on the door knob and looked back at the Headmaster who had lost his twinkle in his eyes. Harry felt bad but then said, "What I think is that, I will know when _you_ are ready. Good day to you, sir."

As Harry shut the door, he distinctly heard many voices, most likely from the portraits.

"No proper etiquette!"

"He is bold."

"At least he tells the truth about what he thinks. Much better than Fudge…"

* * *

_Two weeks later_

* * *

"Is it like magic?" Ron asked wide-eyed as he stared at Harry shuffling his old Rubik cube.

"No. There are 27 cubes, actually. The middle one is the most movable. They're connected by hinges from the inner cubes. See?" Harry shifted a row and a column.

"Could I just…?"

"Sure." Harry handed him the cube and took out his knut to flip it. He was getting quite addicted to the sound of the bronze coin striking against his nail.

The two boys were walking along the half-filled corridor on their way to dinner. They had just finished a Charms test and, though Ron felt that it was too lengthy, Harry had no qualms about it.

"George says that Wood's a maniac when it comes to Quidditch. I reckon he's right. I mean, he made you do drills and exercising for more than an hour before starting the practice!" Ron said while trying to shift the cube rows.

"That was warm up. He was right. It's easier to fly when you're fully charged to go." Harry explained as they went up to the Great Hall for dinner. It was just past eight, but Bolt had convinced Harry to have an late supper as Harry had just come up from the dungeons where he had cleaned the mess left by third years.

Apparently, Snape did like it when someone corrected him in front of the entire class. Harry hadn't been able to hold back when Snape mispronounced 'flobberworm' as 'flobberwerm.'

Snape didn't like it when Harry had suggested trying to practice pronunciations during his spare time, either.

"I know that it's not nice to have detention, but the look on Snape's face, when you interrupted him, was priceless!" Ron chortled. They sat down next to one of the Gryffindor Chasers, Katie Bell. She smiled at the boys and went back to her book which she read alongside eating.

"Okay?" Harry asked slowly, not really understanding what Ron meant. Wizards and witches weren't meant for selling and buying, right?

Ron handed him the cube and started to pile up his plate rather heavily.

"I thought you had, already eaten?" Harry questioned him. Ron nodded and Harry didn't say anything else. He wanted to eat fast and go back to the dorm. He hadn't finished The Potters' Book.

He had started reading from Albus Dumbledore. There had been a photo of the Headmaster with a golden border around the frame indicating that the person was alive. If the frame colour was black, the person was dead. Rather simplistic.

Each person had two pages of information when it wasn't hindered. Dumbledore had only one page. The second was blank. Harry had wondered what was worth being hidden so badly here.

"You're not listening, are you?" Ron's voice suddenly entered his ears and Harry blinked.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

"When aren't you? Anyway, I was wondering if I could have a go on your Nimbus? I mean… only if you're okay with it. I just want to try it. It looked really superb when you go on it. Or maybe that's just you…"

"You can go on it tomorrow, Ron. I wouldn't mind." Harry said and Ron grinned. "Thanks!"

* * *

When Ron had closed the curtains of his bed, Harry sat up and took out the book. It wasn't as if he didn't want Ron to know about it. He was sure that Ron and even Neville had these books about their families too, considering that they were purebloods.

Flipping the pages, he came to 'Melody Darcy Potter nee Gritman'. The smiling picture of a lovely woman looked up at him from the page. She had flaxen hair with freckles and shining light brown eyes. Her face was slightly oval and when she grinned at him, Harry immediately read her page trying not to look at the black border of her photo.

She had been a Gryffindor, in the same year as Harry's parents. She had also been a mute until her seventeenth birthday when one of her family members donated enough gold for her larynx treatment from the Wizarding hospital, St. Mungo's. She was orphaned from the age of twelve and had to live in a muggle place specially rented out for her.

Harry frowned at that. If that relative of her had been rich enough to spend enough for Melody to get cured, why couldn't they have taken her in?

Harry sighed. What was the problem with wizards and adopting?

He read about Jacob, who was a Ravenclaw. He and Melody married on 2nd March, 1996. Daniel was named as such after one of Melody's uncles who died in the war.

Harry was ready to bet that everyone in the current generation had a namesake.

Harry flipped a few more pages and came to a stop. The page had a photo of a small baby girl with dark red hair and dimples. She grinned when she saw him looking at her. She looked about a year old and had some small teeth poking out of her gums. The photo border was black.

Harry stared at Rosalie Lillian Potter for five more seconds before shutting the book angrily. He stuffed it at the bottom of his trunk and closed it. Leaning against the pole of his bed, Harry sighed and looked out the window. He walked towards it and stared down.

'Who's that?' Bolt whispered. Harry didn't answer as he saw a silhouette, that of a human, glide into the forest. The figure had black robes which billowed around the person.

'Not Snape, though.' Harry thought. Snape had still limped around even during the detention. Though, his leg had seemed better, Harry was sure that this was someone else. He grabbed at his night robes and put on his noiseless sneakers.

'You're actually planning to go out of the castle at this time of the night?!' Bolt asked in disbelief.

'Well, you did say that I needed to connect with my Core more. Who's idea had it been to go into the forest?'

'I meant that in the morning! You know this! Don't twist around! There are hundreds of creatures in there. Some may not even have been discovered!'

'Then, shall we go and discover some?' Harry asked lightly as he opened the portrait hole to leave the tower.

"Where are you going, now?!" The Fat Lady suddenly shrieked. Harry turned around and answered, "I'll be safe. Don't worry."

"I am not letting you go out. You get back in, young man!"

Harry looked in surprise, "How can you stop me if I do leave?"

"I…I'll send word to the Headmaster!" She said triumphantly. Harry tried not to look irritated. The person would have already disappeared into the forest. Harry was sure that he knew him.

'Or her.' Bolt pointed out, her voice, slightly sharp.

Harry pressed his lips together. He could go in the morning and simply ask the forest about a peculiar stranger within its depths. That would be less risky, too.

"Fine." Harry muttered. The Fat Lady stared as if she had expected a strong conversation.

"Good. Now go back."

"I'm not sleepy." Harry said and sat on the steps.

She frowned and then said, "You might go to sleep if you are in your bed."

"I might not." Harry said, fiddling with his knut. He suddenly looked up at her.

"What's your name?"

She looked completely taken aback at that. "Deborah Montez." She said, her voice going soft.

Harry nodded and then said, "So, Debby, how long have you been here?"

'Debby' glared at him. "I'm not Debby."

"Deb?"

"No!"

"Okay, Mrs. Montez, how long have you been here?"

She looked surprised, "How do you know that I'm married?"

"Your ring. And the way you said your name. You just loved it." Harry pointed out.

She blushed at that and said, "About 60 years."

"Do you like it here?"

"Of course. There's always something or the other that happens every day at Hogwarts. It's never quiet."

"Never?"

"There may have been a time or two when the castle was silent. But that was during the war. Then the summer holidays were an absolute bore, except for Violet and the others."

"Other portraits, you mean." Harry asked flipping his coin. In the dark corridor with the exception of the sounds from a torch bracket, their voices very automatically in whispers.

"Yes. Halley's little boy is just sweet!"

Harry looked up at her. "Do you remember everyone from the Gryffindor house?"

"Well, some stand out more that the others. If you're talking about your parents, yes, I do. It's not very hard to forget them. Nearly destroyed the castle, your father and his brother."

Harry lost the rhythmic tossing of his coin.

"How did they –"

"They actually got into a fight. Horrible. During the fight, they somehow lost their wands and began muggle dueling. And with their Cores…"

She shook her head at the memory. Harry was in deep thought. He had no idea about his parents' Cores. It would be written in the book, right?

"It's nearly eleven, don't you think, you should go back inside?" She asked. Harry's head snapped up and he mumbled, "Yeah. Goodnight, Debby."

"It's Deborah!"

* * *

Harry stared at his trunk. He wanted to take his book out. But Bolt kept yelling that he needed to sleep.

'Can't I just know what their Cores are?'

'Tomorrow!'

'No, tomorrow, we're going to the forest.'

'No you don't!'

'I thought you wanted me to go in there?'

'Not when there are strange creatures prowling around the castle and in the forest!'

'When you say strange creatures…'

'Not the students! That person!'

'I made this as my schedule. Take it or leave it.'

'What if I tell you who that was? Then will you check the book tomorrow?'

Harry stopped in his action of opening his trunk.

'Who do you think it was?'

Bolt hesitated as though she wasn't sure. 'It's just that, he had the same weird energy like him but…but this seemed stronger somehow.'

Harry sighed, 'Bolt…just say –"

'Quirrell. It felt like Quirrell.'

* * *

**I hope this was good. Remember that there's a time-lapse between the chapter. I hope there wasn't any confusion.**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter that may hopefully come within a week!**

**Cabba.**


	14. Leading up to Halloween

**9 reviews? Here's your reward, the longest chapter yet!**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx**** – I've already kinda mapped out what's going to happen between the two wars. They're not going to overlap much, well you'll see why.**

**theHuntress101**** - I don't think so. Let's see where the story goes. For now, no.**

**RedRangerBelt**** – Whoa! Didn't mean to offend you! I was trying my Dumbledore impersonation. Yes, to the first. Yes, to the second. Yes, to the third. Yes, to the fourth. No, to the fifth.**

**Guest – I hevn't thought of a Beta. But I think I can manage for now. We'll see how my work is. If there is improvement, then great!**

**Disclaimer: True story – A wonderful woman named Rowling had an idea of a wizard and wrote the Harry Potter series. Guess what? I'm not her. I don't own the HP saga. Never have, never will.**

**Words –4963**

* * *

"So…so…reca…recapping…er…what h…have we le…learnt from the…the…basics … the basics of the d…disarmamam..ming spell?"

Harry hadn't even bothered to raise his hand. He had been keeping a keen eye on Quirrell ever since Bolt had told him, weeks ago, that she had felt that there was some unnaturalness in the air about him. However, Hermione nearly shot up with her hand which put a few others out.

Quirrell gave a shaky smile at Hermione's enthusiasm for answering and gave her the chance.

"The main point of the spell is to disarm the opponent –"

"No, really?" Ron muttered. Hermione either didn't hear or pretended not to.

"–with the flick of your wand, while the word 'Expelliarmus' causes a connection between the wand, that is almost physical."

Harry raised his hand. "So, it's just like yanking it away, right Professor?"

Some of the students burst into smothered laughter. Hermione glared at him and Quirrell subtly clenched his fist. Harry felt slight vindictive pleasure at that for some reason.

"Di…distance. If y…you are to…to…too far away fr…from your…opponent, magic would be of s…service here."

'The stuttering was so fake, even a Barbie doll would have figured it out.' Bolt said lazily.

'What is the connection with Barbie dolls and the situation?' Harry thought. Bolt only made a small preening noise.

"Can it be used other than disarming an opponent?" Harry asked suddenly.

"The spell…can be used f…fo…"

'Is he going to cuss?' Bolt asked frowning. Harry tried not to roll his eyes.

"…for…"

'Oh'

"…taking away any o…object…from the … opponent."

Harry nodded seriously. He rubbed his temple when Quirrell stared at him a second longer than necessary before explaining the amount of power used for the spell.

Harry stared at his text book. It was written that the spell was for second years practical, but it wouldn't hurt to try, right?

'It might.' Bolt put in. Harry didn't respond.

…

Ron stretched his arms as they left DADA.

"You know what I like about Fridays?" he asked Harry.

"Yes."

Ron blinked, "Uh, yeah so, there's no Potions today. I was thinking that after MAGiC, we could go by the lake again…"

"We go to the lake nearly every alternate day, Ron. Why were you asking so specifically?" Harry questioned and frowned as the boy tried not to act nonplussed.

"It's just that, it's been bothering me…"

"What?"

"What's wrong, Harry? You don't really enjoy anything we do. You don't feel happy about anything. You sometimes don't join in on our conversations. You try to talk Malfoy out of being a Malfoy. It's like there's something else going on here."

Harry stared at him. He hadn't realized that Ron was a bit more perceptive than he had originally thought.

"It's nothing like that, Ron. I was usually a loner in Surrey. The change in environment is abrupt and I don't just go and throw myself in gatherings or things like that. I like to be alone, I like to be in complete silence sometimes."

"Wouldn't that be boring?" Ron asked. He hoisted his bag higher up his shoulder waiting for the shorter boy to respond.

"It helps me think."

"You think too much." Ron said shortly. Harry sighed.

"What?"

"No, it's just that…you remind me a bit about my neighbor." Harry said reluctantly.

"That lady?"

"No, her son. He's our age. He was my best friend." Harry said knowing that if Percy had heard him say that, he'd tease Harry mercilessly.

" 'Was'?" Ron asked.

"They moved away three years ago." Harry replied shortly. They went into the Gryffindor Common Room after giving Debby ("Potter!") the password. Ron hadn't commented on that .

"To where?"

"Out the country." Harry wanted the conversation to steer another direction when he saw one of the Weasely twins holding a bright red Frisbee with what Harry supposed was fangs.

"Whoa! Where did you get that from?" Ron asked in awe. Harry frowned. The Frisbee kept snapping at people who passed by it, but the red-headed boy had a firm grip on it.

"Ahhh, a true trickster never reveals his secrets, Ronnie." Fred tutted. Ron glared at him.

"Is that a fanged Frisbee?" Harry asked slowly noticing the logo of the Zonko company.

"Yup. This is the new version. Lasts up to two hours without rest. Perfect for a certain someone…"

The brothers winked at Harry and Ron and left the Common Room after effectively concealing the Frisbee in cloth in their bag.

"I don't even want to know." Ron muttered and they went up the stairs to get their next lessons books.

It wasn't until after MAGiC, when they had gone to visit Hagrid by the forest that something struck Harry.

"Hagrid?" He asked as the large man had been showing them the pumpkins he had been growing in the backyard for the Halloween feast.

"Yeah?"

"What do you know about Quirrell?"

Hagrid looked mildly surprised. Ron looked up at them. He had been kneeling next to one of the large pumpkins and looking at its seeds.

"Professor Quirrell? Well, 'e's strange, that man. But really nice. Well, the way 'e talks a bit annoying, but 'e can't elp it, can 'e?"

Harry shrugged, "Hmm. How long have you known him?"

"Jus' this year. Dumbledore asked 'im the teach DADA fer this year. Last year wes kinda disaster. What with the flyin' stones and wands…"

"Wait? He came just this year?" Harry asked surprised. Hagrid nodded and poured some water over the first row of pumpkin roots.

Harry looked at the ground. Quirrell had something else in mind. This just wasn't going into the Forbidden Forest. There was something much bigger going on here.

"Whatcha thinking, now?" Ron asked as they walked around the lake. It was getting dark and Harry hadn't exactly spoken since they left Hagrid's.

"Something's going on."

"What?"

"I don't know what. But there's something about Quirrell that just doesn't seem right." Harry said slowly. He rubbed his forehead. Ron frowned, "I dunno about Quirrell, but I think Snape's the bad guy."

"Why?"

Ron just shrugged and took a flat stone from the edge of the water. He flipped it on to the surface of the lake where it skipped over the water a few times before sinking.

"Snape just hates Gryffindors. Quirrell is something else." Harry said as he too took a flat stone.

"I have no clue what you're talking about. I think you're bored." Ron justified. Harry looked up in interest and said, "Want to go into the forest?"

Ron hesitated and said, "Not all the way inside, just near the side. I mean, there are all sorts of stuff in there, right?"

"There aren't any human made food or clothes or buildings, though." Harry said and turned around to walk into the forest. Ron didn't move for a quarter of a second before following him.

"Let's just stick to the edge, Harry. Has anyone ever told you that you're a little weird?"

"A few. Do you want to climb?" Harry indicated to the first tree they came to. It was rather tall and the branches started only after seven feet of the main trunk.

"Can you even climb it?"

Harry didn't answer. He took a few steps back and ran towards the thick trunk. He placed his foot on a rough portion near the bottom and put enough force for him to propel towards one of the branches. Gripping it with both hands, he swung himself onto the next where he placed his feet comfortably on it.

"Whoa, that was bloody brilliant! How did you do that?" Ron asked half laughing.

"I've been climbing trees since I was small. And if you count my Core…"

Ron's eyes widened, "Wait a sec! You got Nature, haven't you? Hey, I didn't realize before. I thought you had your Dad's. But then I remembered that you're an Elemental."

"Well, yeah." Harry amended and reached his hand downwards. "Come on."

Ron looked doubtful before taking it. He yelped when Harry gave a terrific pull and Ron found himself sitting on the same branch where Harry was perched.

"Uh…"

"You're welcome." Harry said and leaned against the main trunk.

"All set for the Quidditch match?" Ron asked. Harry looked at him, "Yes, but it isn't until November."

"Oh, yeah."

Ron gave a sigh. Harry wasn't the most interactive. The former didn't mind when he did some things out of the norm at times, but it did seem strange for a first year to be so…mature.

"How's Daniel?" Ron asked suddenly. Harry blinked, "Well, he seemed excited that I'm visiting him for Christmas. He didn't exactly write that down. But it was rather obvious. He doesn't like it there much."

"Well, orphanages are sometimes like that. Did you know that You-Know-Who was from one?"

Harry turned his head so fast, that he thought it had snapped. "Really?"

"Yeah. Charlie told me. I think it was when Dumbledore had gone to talk to Dad about where they were going to put Daniel."

Harry leaned back. "That actually makes sense."

"What makes sense?"

"Most people turn bad because of past childhood issues to cloud their judgments."

"Um…"

"He obviously didn't like it there. He probably hated muggles because they might not have treated him well in there." Harry explained.

"Okay? Well, it's kinda getting dark, maybe–"

"Shh." Harry clapped his hand over Ron's mouth. The two boys froze for a second. Then they heard voices.

" – 7 barriers. Have you figured out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" A very familiar voice was saying.

"Hag…Hagrid? I don't kn…know what–" Quirrell stammered. Snape glared at him. Harry and Ron stared at the scene. What were the two professors doing out of the castle when it was close to seven in the late evening?

"Don't even try that, you stuttering creature! I know what you're doing. It's only a matter of time until someone else finds out." Snape snarled and Quirrell looked on the verge of fainting.

Ron shared a look of alarm with Harry.

"If I find you anywhere near that place again…" Snape gave him a cold look before turning on his heel and walking out of the woods, with his black cloak billowing around himself ridiculously. Quirrell stood there for something trying to catch his breathe. Then, he too went towards the castle. As soon as he was out of sight, Ron turned to Harry, "What the bloody hell was all that about?"

"Shall we find out?" Harry said lightly leaping from the branch. Ron paused before doing the same.

"You mean, we have to follow one of them?" Ron asked.

"I want to know what Quirrell's hiding."

"What? But I thought we're going after Snape?"

"No, it's Quirrell." Harry said as he shook his head. They walked along the bridge, their footsteps echoing eerily.

"Didn't you hear them? Snape was the one threatening Quirrell!"

"He warned Quirrell to not do what he did once." Harry pointed out.

"What did Quirrell do once?"

"No idea."

They reached the end of the bridge and saw Quirrell go through the double doors. There was no one else in sight.

"Come on!" Harry started jogging but Ron caught up with him and said, "I still don't understand!"

Harry came to a stop and took out his knut.

"Fine. We'll decide on it. Heads – we follow Quirrell. Tails – we follow Snape. Fair enough?"

Ron stared at the boy and shrugged, "Okay."

Harry flipped the coin. It went quite high up and fell on the grass. They squinted in the fading light.

"Heads." Ron mumbled. Harry pocketed the coin and they took off, again.

Seeing Quirrell go up the stairs, they tagged along quietly, hoping he wouldn't turn back. They were only one floor below him.

Quirrell went on one of the midway levels and stopped. Harry and Ron crouched, behind one of the moving staircases. They saw Quirrell lean on the large door right behind him. He seemed to be thinking heavily. Then he went up two more levels where they saw him go into his office.

"Okay, he's a bit stranger than I thought previously." Ron whispered. They made to his door when Harry suddenly pulled Ron back.

"Do you think he would have put a barrier of sorts?"

Ron looked puzzled and said, "Slowly, may be. I didn't think of it. But if he did, then I'm not fool enough to try and get past those."

Harry contemplated the situation and said, "You're right. Let's go back to the Common room."

"Ganymede." Ron told to Deborah and she swung open her portrait to reveal the entrance. There were a lot of people in the large room. The two boys pushed their way through towards the stairs. But someone stood right in front of them, with a frown on her face.

"Where have you been?" Hermione hissed.

"What's it to you?" Ron asked and glared at her. She huffed, "I saw you go into the forest. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"We were on the outskirts, technically." Harry said but Hermione wasn't pleased.

"What if some teacher had caught you? You would have lost points and gotten detention!"

"Is that where your mind jumped to? So if we got dragged away by some or the other animal, it would have been okay because that way, we wouldn't lose any points?" Ron said fiercely. Harry heard the noise in the Common Room lower slightly.

"Uh… guys?"

"Don't you try to pin this on me! You just don't care for Gryffindor!"

"You don't care for any Gryffindor! It's just marks and points, right!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!"

"Then do us all a favour and don't talk at all!"

"Guys?" Harry tried a bit louder but it didn't seem to work.

"I don't even know why I bother!" Hermione shrieked.

"It's an unsolved mystery of the world!" Ron yelled. Harry rubbed his temple feeling a migraine coming on.

"Oh, you think you're so funny, don't you!"

"You wouldn't know what funny is if it bit you on the nose, smart aleck!"

"Excuse me for trying to bring in some semblance of order in this place, you lazy…lazy thing!"

Hermione turned around so fast her bushy hair struck Ron in the face. She didn't look back as she stomped up to the girls' dorms.

Harry looked around the room and saw every one looking their way. "Come on, Ron." He muttered and pulled him up the boys' stairs.

"There's something wrong with her. She really needs to get a reality check." Ron said as he gingerly rubbed his face. "She could've at least combed her hair! It was like a barb of wires!"

Harry didn't respond as he stared at a small box, which was hidden beneath his load of winter wear. That box held the tiny key to his and Daniel's trust fund. Gornuk had charmed it to be open-able only by him.

* * *

"Where were you?" Ron asked enjoying the Tuesday evening in the Common Room. Harry gave a 'no comment' gesture with a shrug of his shoulders. Dropping his bag by the sofa, Harry leaned in to see the chess game between Ron and Dean. He had played chess just a few times, but he could see Ron was winning by a mile.

"Knight to E5." Dean said. Ron gave a victorious smirk and said, "Queen to D6. Check."

Dean groaned. Harry could see that if Dean needed his king alive, he'd have to sacrifice his queen.

"You're good." Harry commented and Ron gave a dramatic bow.

"Fine, you win. Again!" Dean said and leaned back in his couch.

Ron gave an innocent smile as his knight went forward and beheaded the king.

"That's barbaric." Hermione said suddenly. She had been sitting on the ground helping Neville through his Potions essay.

"That's Wizard Chess."

"Did you know that the Wizarding World is progressively twenty years behind the Muggle World?" Hermione said.

"Did you know that between a war of the Wizards and Muggles, Wizards would win with both hands tied behind their backs?" Ron countered. Some of the people around them gave a snort and Hermione glared at him before turning back to Neville.

"Did you know that it is possible to get a first level headache when you sit next to two people who fight all the time?" Harry asked, rubbing his forehead unwittingly making the whole room burst out laughing. Ron and Hermione didn't dignify his question.

"Don't worry, Harry. That was discovered during the start of this year." George called from the other side of the room.

* * *

The moment the large bell from above the roof of the Hospital Wing struck thrice indicating that it was midnight, Harry shot up faster than Percy with extra sugar.

His breathes started coming in short gasps as he pulled his sweaters over himself. He just was able to cover every inch of his body with at least four layers of thermal wear, when his breathe came out in a white mist.

He shivered for a few seconds before reaching for the Pepper-Up Potion, Madam Pomfrey had given him the day before, and swallowed three mouthfuls of it.

Steam gushed out his ears and he felt his face turn hot. Harry blinked and felt the warmth sweeping through his body. He sighed. Making sure that no one had woken up, he tried to go back to sleep.

* * *

After tossing and turning for about five hours, Harry threw the sheets off and rubbed his cheeks with his palms to get some heat into it.

'Stay in bed.' Bolt pleaded. Harry shook his head and trudged down to the Common Room. He felt better when he saw a small fire in the fire place. Sitting in front of it, he took some logs from the side and pushed them in. The fire grew bigger and Harry sighed. Bolt jumped out and shook her fur.

'At least you don't have to freeze.' Harry muttered. Bolt gave an apologetic look. She climbed on his lap and grew a bit size. Her fur felt better than a blanket and Harry said, 'Thanks.'

He had worn his robes over his mountain of sweaters and felt like a camping tent.

Staring at the embers, he said to himself, _Happy Halloween, Harry_.

* * *

"Are you sure, you're okay?" Neville asked carefully as Harry took another sip from his flask.

"Yeah. Don't worry, it isn't as bad is it looks." Harry tried to comfort him but Seamus said, "Mate, yeh have to go the Hospital Wing. Yeh look like a dead ghost!"

Harry stared at him. Seamus probably meant that he looked worse than a ghost. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and tried not to wince at his dark circles and wax coloured skin.

_You look like death_. His reflection said.

"Shut up." Harry muttered and turned away.

"Seamus is right, you've gotta go to Madam Pomfrey." Ron said.

"I went yesterday. Don't worry about me." Harry answered and went out of the dorm. Madam Pomfrey had given him a mild dosage of a warming spell usually given for people with lasting cold shivers. But even then, she couldn't actually do anything about his condition. She had never heard about it. If you thought about it, what kind of condition was it if for twenty four hours you were on the brink of turning into a human popsicle?

At least he wasn't bundled up in his jumpers. The Pepper-Up Potion worked fine and Harry only needing his jacket underneath his school sweater to keep himself functioning through the day.

Ignoring the looks that were sent his way, Harry sat at the table and took a bowl of steaming porridge.

Nobody commented on his looks. At least, no one did until Hermione sat from across him.

"We must have done something in our previous lives…" Ron muttered. Hermione pretended to ignore him. "What's wrong with you, Harry?"

"Oh, that isn't rude at all." Ron said sarcastically.

"Not today, please." Ron and Hermione surprisingly listened to him. Harry must have looked worse than he had thought.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I don't entirely know why this happens, but it does and trust me; it's better than before."

"Before?"

Harry should have kept his mouth shut.

He looked at his half empty bowl and sighed, "You know what? I'm not hungry. See you both in DADA." He left the table and Ron gave a half-hearted, "Bye." Hermione watched him go and frowned, "There was something up with Harry Potter.

"Nice job scaring him away." Ron said suddenly, turning to Hermione who looked taken aback.

"Excuse me. I thought he looked sick and wanted him to go to the Matron!"

"He did go, yesterday."

"Well, I didn't know that, did I?"

"Wow! You actually didn't know something?"

"You're worse than Malfoy!" Hermione said harshly and got up to sit at the edge of the table, far from Ron.

* * *

Harry'd like to say that the day went a bit better. But it didn't. Well…not entirely.

All the classes till lunch time was spent in trying to restrain Ron and Hermione from jumping at each others' throats. It didn't help that his head was starting to ache seriously and that it was Halloween. Harry had to take his mild Pepper-Up Potion at the end of each hour. Also, the weather in Scotland was much cooler than Surrey's.

History of Magic wasn't boring this time. Harry could hardly concentrate on the Goblin revolutions. He had no idea what had possessed him to sit in between the Terrible Twoes, as they had been dubbed.

Why couldn't they get along? Did they need some outlet for their frustrations or something?

Their third class was Potions with the Slytherins. The day just couldn't have gone worse after that.

Malfoy smirked at Harry halfway during the class and Harry groaned internally.

"Potter!"

"Yes, sir?"

"What is this?"

"My essay. You can see here the title, 'Twelve uses of Dragon's blood - by Harry Potter'. I thought that what have been enough indication as to what it is." Harry said innocently and watched Snape's face go red.

"It's absolute rubbish!" He slammed the essay down onto the table. Harry blinked. Okay, he might have gone a bit off the books to elaborate on it's uses on counter-active poison. He wondered why Snape was in such a bad mood today.

"Detention!"

"What!" Harry snatched the essay and read it. One and a half foot on 'How to use a shampoo'. Harry stared at the parchment.

"It isn't even my handwriting."

"Did you think that this a joke? Your celebrity status may bring you favours from other teachers but not from me!"

"It's much neater. I most certainly do not use cursive writing."

"This weekend. Saturday and Sunday at six in the evening till dinner time!"

"I'm just getting a hang on writing with a quill. This is much too perfect."

"And no excuses!"

"... Could you repeat that? Sir?"

* * *

"Wouldn't have thought you would mock a teacher like that, Potter!" Malfoy laughed as he pushed past Harry. Ron gritted his teeth.

"I can't believe that Snape didn't even give you a chance. That greasy git!"

"You can't talk about a teacher like that! He might have just been in a bad mood. " Hermione suddenly said lugging her heavy bag along with her.

"He took it out on Harry!" Ron snapped.

"Harry isn't thinking too much about it. Why are you so upset?"

"Do you leave just to torment us?" Ron asked throwing his hands into the air. Harry rubbed his forehead again.

Hermione glared at him.

Harry walked a little faster and outraced the both of them. He caught up with Neville, "Hey, Neville? Would you mind if I sit next to you for lunch?"

Neville smiled and shook his head.

Unfortunately, Ron spotted them and he in turn brought an irate Hermione.

Harry tried to take deep breathes. The stress of the coldness of his body, his sleepless nights, Quidditch training, detentions and the shouting happening next to his poor right ear was taking a toll on Harry. He hadn't been doing his own weekly screaming episodes. Now that he didn't do them, he realized how much he needed a vent.

"Harry I really think that you need to go to the Hospital Wing." Neville said worriedly. Harry shook his head and concentrated on slowly chewing his food.

"It happens every year. I don't really need any outside influence except for the Pepper-Up Potion which " Harry looked at his watch, "should be now."

He reached into his bag for his flask as Hermione gave a small sniff. Harry looked up startled to see Hermione looking close to tears.

"No…don't go and start crying, please. Just forget what I said…" Ron's voice faltered when Hermione dumped her pumpkin juice over his head and ran from the Hall. Half the student body stared at Ron.

"What did you say, Ron?" Harry asked quietly.

"I think I went over a line. I kinda insulted her about her being a know-it-all and…I don't know why I got so angry!"

Neville sighed, "What are you still doing here?"

"Huh?"

"Why don't you go and at least try to apologize to her?" Harry suggested.

"But…but…" Ron stammered and looked at Harry who didn't look away. Harry folded his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Fine." Ron got up sulkily and left the Hall.

Harry simply sat there for a few seconds and turned towards Neville, "Why do I get the feeling that their conversation would not go well?"

" 'Cause it wouldn't?" Neville asked. Harry sighed. "I think we should follow them."

The two boys left the Hall and looked around.

"May be Hermione went to the Tower?" Neville suggested. They went in the direction of the stairs and saw Ron on the first floor while Hermione was on her way to the third.

"Come on."

They hurried up the steps and Harry felt a shiver pass through his spine as if something bad was just around the corner.

"Hermione? Hermione! Look, I'm really sorry–"

"Don't talk to me!"

"I'm trying to apologize to you!"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Well then, weeks later, you'll blame me for not apologizing!"

"I wouldn't do that!"

"Why not? My sister does it to me all the time. It's bloody annoying!"

"You're annoying!"

"I knew it." Harry muttered as he caught up to them.

"If I may?" Harry said interrupting the both of them. All four kids were on one of the moving staircases now.

"I think the both of you were just taking out your angers on each other. So, it really isn't his fault, unless he said something offensive to you directly."

"Oh, he did." Hermione muttered and climbed on to the next level. The three boys followed her and Hermione gave a noise of frustration when her next staircase moved away.

"Whoopsie daisy! What do we have here?" A glee voice was heard. Peeves floated through the wall towards them and gave them an evil grin.

"Take a hike." Ron said.

"No can do. Peevesie thinks that you lot are rather dry. Are you thirsty? Don't worry!"

Peeves, who had been holding a bucket of water behind him, threw it at them. Harry was about to duck when Ron glared at the poltergeist and the water stopped midway. It shot back towards Peeves who let out a string of swear words.

He took out a bunch of brown spherical balls. Ron and Neville shouted, "DUCK!"

Harry narrowly avoided when one of the balls hit the wall next to his shoulder. The smell that emanated was incredible. Hermione nearly gagged at it and Neville pushed open the nearest door.

"Come on!" Ron pulled Hermione in and Harry shut the door just as another one just missed him again.

"Yuck!" Hermione said.

"Dungbombs. He must have flicked it from Fred and George. They were complaining about misplacing the stuff." Ron said and pressed his ear to the door.

Harry did the same and could hear Snape's voice loud and clear. He was shouting at Peeves who was trying to chuck his new toys at the already irritated Professor.

"At least, we don't smell that bad." Neville said weakly as he listened to the argument that now included Filch, the caretaker. Harry could hear Mrs. Norris mewing angrily.

Neville sighed and blinked as he stared at the large wooden door that he had been listening to. Did a shadow just move? He turned around on a whim and froze. His hand moved on its own accord and pulled on Hermione's hand. She shushed him to hear the outside conversation but when his grip tightened uncomfortably, she turned to look what had caught his eye. For a second, she thought her heart had stopped beating. Then she pressed herself to the door and pulled on Ron's robes.

"What?" He hissed and turned to see what had scared Hermione out of her wits. His jaw dropped and eyes bulged when he saw exactly what.

He pulled on Harry's shoulder. Harry held up an arm. Snape was threatening to get Dumbledore to expel Peeves. Filch was all for it but it just sounded as if the two men were attacked by dungbombs.

"I think Filch is going to be expelled." Harry whispered. Ron pulled on his hand frantically.

"One second, Ron. I think they're going away." Harry said slowly. But when Ron let out a squeal worthy of Aunt Petunia, Harry turned and saw something that just made his day go down the drain.

* * *

**15 pages! This is the longest chapter ever, guys! I hope you like it, because, everything's about to change…again.**

**Stay tuned for the next update!**

**Cabba.**


	15. The First Halloween

**Rinneko Tsukinomori**** – I think you're right. And since, you're the second person to comment on the excessive length, this chapter is shorter mostly because, I'm out of time at the moment and thought I'd post this as compensation.**

**RedRangerBelt**** – Nope, it's not the troll, read ahead. No, the Horcrux isn't exactly connected here. You'll understand more later. Like I said before, it's a lost cause for Snape until I decide to.**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx**** – I hope you were careful on the ice. No way is it going to be just one book! I couldn't manage that! It's not going to be completely seven either. Less. After a few books, I'll combine HP and PJO/HoO in two or may be three. But that will be decided after I read Mark of Athena, House of Hades and the last book.**

**The chapter is shorter than expected. Close to 3000, though. I had fun writing it!**

**Disclaimer: Fun fact – I DON'T OWN HP! JKR DOES! Thank you.**

**Words – 2920**

* * *

'I think we just figured out what Hagrid's beast is…' Bolt whispered and Harry tried to shake himself out of his shock.

Neville, Hermione, Ron and Harry were standing, not in a room, but a corridor. The one on the third floor. The one that was forbidden. Now, they knew why they weren't supposed to be here.

They were in front of a huge three-headed dog. The canine was as tall as the height of the hallway. Its three heads brushed the ceiling as three pairs of yellow eyes glared at them. All three heads were drooling and thunderous growls kept echoing around the area and clashing against Harry's ears.

They could get out. It looked as though they had taken it by surprise, but it seemed to be quickly recovering.

"Nobody…make…a sound." Harry whispered as slowly as he could, hoping that the dog's ears wouldn't pick up his voice.

Ron, Neville and Hermione screamed.

The dog roared and pounced on them. Harry pushed all three of them out of the way and the door was behind them shuddered as the huge four-legged creature landed on it. The door cracked and Harry groaned when he saw that the frame seemed to be wedged around the door. Great…

"Bolt!" Harry shouted. What kind of magic should he use here? They hadn't learnt anything in self-defense, yet.

"HARRY!" Ron yelled and pulled the former away just as the dog jumped on him again.

"That dog has three heads." Neville said as though he were about to faint.

"That's a Cerberus." Hermione shrieked.

"Oh, thank you so much! That's gonna save our lives!" (Guess who said that.)

'I can't, Harry. Something's blocking me!' Bolt yelled and Harry gritted his teeth. The Cerberus growled at him and barked loudly.

Harry was pretty sure that what he did next was nothing short of recklessness.

He took his wand, pointed at the three-headed dog with a small flick and heaved the wand with all his might. To his utter shock, the dog came pelting in his direction. The four first-years ducked and the dog tried to get it's bearings as it strangely skidded all the way to the end of the corridor.

Ron ran for the door and pulled on it. It barely budged.

"It's jammed!" Hermione cried and she tried to use her weight to pull on the handle. Ron joined her and Neville too helped and this only resulted in the handle snapping off.

Meanwhile, Harry panted. He realized that he had used a bit too much magic into that spell. Breathing hard, he looked around at anything that could help them.

"We're stuck!" Ron yelled and Harry saw the Cerberus trying to run on the tiled ground. Harry ran back to them and nearly tripped on an uneven tile.

Harry stared at it. It wasn't a tile. The square piece was wooden, with a small handle at one edge. Harry leaned down and pulled on it. The square shape opened like a small window and Harry felt a small pull on his Core. Plants!

"This way!" He shouted. The dog was getting closer but kept slipping at every bound.

Neville was the first to react. He grabbed Ron's and Hermione's hands and pulled them away from the door. Harry looked through the hole in the ground. He couldn't see the bottom, but was sure that there was something with life at the end. Hopefully, large enough to catch four kids falling through the darkness.

"I am not going down there!" Hermione declared. The dog barked and Hermione gulped.

"No time!" Harry said and pushed her in. She screamed and Ron gaped at him. Harry gave him a sudden shove and Ron swore as he fell. Neville gripped Harry's hand as they both jumped in.

The air whizzed past him and his robes and hair was being blown upwards. His glasses were threatening to fly away, but he gripped onto to them. He tucked his wand and braced for the bottom. The moment he felt that they were close enough; he reached out into his mind.

He felt thick shoots suddenly catching him by the waist and Harry made sure that the others were caught too carefully taking into account that they had been falling a second ago.

"Oof!" Ron's voice came from one side of the room. Harry stood on a branch and looked up at where the trap door above them was the size of a postage stamp.

"Guys?" Neville's voice came, uncertainly.

"Right here, Neville." Harry called out and grabbed the boy's shoulder. He reached back to get Hermione's hand which was shaking and pulled them to where Ron had fallen, "Ron?"

"Here." He groaned and stood up.

"We must be a hundred feet below the school." Ron whispered. There wasn't much light, but Harry's eyes were slowly getting accustomed to the darkness and he could see their faces partially.

He suddenly felt the plant moving. Hermione jumped when she felt a tendril wrap around her upper arm.

"Get to the wall!" Harry hissed and pushed her towards the edge, ripping the shoot away.

"Wha–" Ron started but was cut off when he was picked up by the ankle. The plant wasn't exactly responsive to Harry's thoughts. Harry jumped onto the thick growth and towed Neville.

_Drop him! _Harry said firmly in his head and Ron let out a yelp followed by a muffled thump.

"That's a Devil's Snare." Neville breathed and pulled Ron away.

When all four of them were pressed against the wall away from the plant, Hermione whispered, "How did you do that?"

"That's my Core." Harry said trying hard to calm himself. His palms were sweaty and he could feel the freezing air around his neck. It wasn't actually cold, but he wasn't in a good physical state and being down here did not help.

"Oh. Your eyes. Of course, plants." Hermione mumbled. Ron leaned over her and squinted through the faint light, "Is that a door?"

Neville moved towards the end of the wall and felt it.

"Yeah." He whispered.

He gave a small push and a rattle but the door stayed put.

"Now what?!" Ron asked desperately looking up at the trap door. They couldn't hear the barking anymore.

"Move over!" Hermione said pushing Ron (Hey!). She brought out her wand and pointed it at the lock. "_Alohomora_."

There was a click and she pushed the door open.

"Alohomora?" Ron asked.

"Standard book of spells, chapter seven." Hermione said.

"We're half way through chapter three!" Ron said staring at Hermione in shock. She shrugged and said, "It's much more interesting than just learning by heart. Oh, wipe that look off!"

Ron rolled his eyes. Harry looked around the room. The first thing he heard was tiny fluttering sounds. The room seemed smaller, but was rather tall. There was natural light around them with no source. For the first time since entering Hogwarts, Harry felt a tingling sensation on his skin.

"Do you feel that?" Hermione asked excitedly.

"Feel what?" Ron asked and frowned. Harry noticed that Hermione's fingers kept twitching. She could feel the magic too.

"I think there's a spell cast over the entire room." She said happily.

"Uh…"

"To give the room light." Harry said. She nodded and looked up.

"Are they birds?" Neville asked suddenly.

Harry saw a small golden object fly past his hand and then go up to rejoin its mates. He stared at them. They gave out lustre like no living being.

"No…they're keys?" Harry said uncertainly.

"With…wings?" Ron asked looking at the entire room with incredulity.

"I'll bet one of them fits the key hole." Hermione said and rushed across the room to reach anther large door with a rusted silver handle.

"Which one is it?" Ron asked trying to scrutinize each key as it moved.

"Wait? We're going through there?" Neville asked surprised.

"No other way, Nev. If there's a way to go out all the way through the trap door, please tell us." Ron said.

"We could fly." Harry suggested. The other three looked at him in shock.

"Huh?"

"Brooms." He said and pointed at seven brooms laid in a pile at the other side of the wall.

"I can't fly." Hermione said hesitantly.

"Neither can I." Neville mumbled.

Harry looked at Ron. "The both of us can. I think you can just sit with us. I'm sure the brooms can hold two of us, together."

"Keeping in mind that these are school brooms?" Ron asked skeptically, eyeing them.

"Any other plan?" Harry shot back.

"Yeah, plan A. Find out what's behind that door." Ron jerked his thumb to the door which led forwards, deeper into the area.

"How?" Harry quipped. Ron opened his mouth and then closed, staring at flying keys.

"There must be hundreds of them. Harry's right, we'd never figure out the right one. Trial and Error method would take much too long, unless someone knows a mild marking spell." Hermione sighed.

"A what?"

"To put a visible mark. If we catch a key to try it, we'd have to mark it so that we'd know that we already had tried it before."

"But that alone would take too much time." Harry finished.

"Alright! Plan A. I'm hungry." Ron grumbled and picked up one of the brooms. He let it mounted it as Harry picked up another one.

"Does anyone know a placid blasting curse?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Why would we need a blasting curse?!"

"The main door is jammed, Hermione. We have to fly through that fast before the Cerberus can realize that we were there." Harry said and looked at the others.

"I haven't even heard of one." Hermione mumbled.

"Finally, we're on the same page." Ron said and Hermione smiled faintly.

'Any suggestions, Bolt?' Harry asked.

'Well, yeah.'

'Care to share it?'

'Of course. Sharing is caring. That dog may not be a monster as you think it is.'

'Elaborate that, please.'

'Like the troll, it may just be excited by your smell.' Bolt reasoned.

'Dogs find oranges tolerable?'

'I don't know! But it's worth a try, isn't it?'

Harry sighed.

"What did she say?" Neville said unexpectedly. Harry stared at him and he stared back.

"Bolt says that the Cerberus may like my…peculiar scent."

"Who's Bolt?" Hermione asked curiously.

"His dog." Ron said in a tone that made Harry think that he liked it when he knew something she didn't.

"That…that dog which jumped out of you?!"

"The very one."

"Why can't she help us now? Why can't she…Apparate us from here?" Hermione asked.

"That wasn't Apparating. That was teleportation. Or flashing." Harry specified, remembering that only Wizards, Goblins and Elves could Apparate and Disapparate.

'And Witches.' Bolt said sharply.

"And Witches." Harry amended. "She can't do it now. Something is blocking her from emerging and I think it's a specific type of shield. May be that's the sensation we're feeling."

Hermione looked uncertain. "But then, how are we going to escape?"

They were quiet for a long time. Ron got off the broom and leaned against the wall.

Harry wished he knew something about the blasting curse. The text from the fourth chapter of 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' had just touched briefly on release of magic through one's wand which could be shaped into normal spells.

Release of magic. A powerful release of magic through his wand.

'No! That's dangerous! Besides, you don't know how to touch your magic from within–' Bolt argued.

'The plant. Devil's Snares are extremely strong –'

'It can turn against you! It's not like the others. There are some plants that will not listen to you!'

'I can control!' Harry huffed.

'You're not strong enough. Not today.' Bolt whispered. Harry blinked and placed his palms on his knees after keeping the broom on the ground.

He wasn't weak. He was never weak. He had never shown lack of strength in any situation and he most certainly wasn't starting now. Harry reached out slowly to the wild plant. It thrashed around in his mind and Harry clenched his jaw. This was his strong point. He could use that to get potential to tap into his magic reserve, while making sure that the plant wouldn't grab any of them. Then he had to fly out through the trap door, aim for the main door which would most certainly be destroyed with that level of force and they had to escape the Cerberus and fly through the small archway.

That was simple enough.

"Right. I've got a plan. Get on." Harry said firmly trying to convince himself that he could do this. He just had to feel the quivering awareness through his skin intensify.

"What plan?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry briefed them, "We fly out, I blast the main door and we get away from the third floor corridor."

Harry paused at their shocked expressions, "That rhymed."

"How are you going to blast the door?!" Ron inquired half exasperated and half shocked.

"Seeing as I'm the only one with my Core active, down here, no offense Hermione, this is the best plan."

"What?! But that's the Devil's Snare! Is it actually responding to you?" She asked flabbergasted.

Responding? Yeah. Positively? Not entirely.

"Of course it is!" Harry retorted and mounted his broom. He wished that he had his Nimbus with him, but this would have to do.

"If have any other better option, let's hear it out." He said and was met with silence.

"Thought so." He mumbled.

Neville gulped as if he were confirming his own death certificate and climbed behind Ron. Hermione looked uncertain before climbing behind Harry and gripping his robes hard.

"If you don't want to fall, Hermione, I think you need to get closer." Harry whispered, turning around. She shot him a look of disbelief.

Harry shrugged and kicked off to hover. That made Hermione hold on to him almost painfully.

"Ready?" Harry called to Ron who nodded looking determined.

"Be some distance away from us, if there is a backlash of magic, we have to dodge it." Harry said. Ron yelled, "What?!"

"That's not possible!" Hermione shrieked.

"Not necessarily. Ron's rather good with brooms. Sure we may not get to see the power coming at us, but we can feel it."

"How would you know that?!"

"Because we have Bolt." Harry said simply and said, "Start a second after me, Ron."

He clasped his wand tightly and took off. He heard Ron right behind him and felt the Devil's Snare try to reach out. He used it. He used the connection fully allowing it to hold. He felt every part of the plant, its shoots, its new buds, its thorns, its roots which had penetrated the concrete floor. The onslaught of information and energy sent his mind into an overdrive.

They had just shot out from the open trap door startling the three headed dog. Harry immediately focused onto the door and pointed his wand at it.

It was like being back at Ollivander's. Only stronger. He felt a shaking wave of magic go through his right hand, into his wand which shot out a red jet of heat and light like a laser. The door exploded and Harry flew through the arch.

There was no backlash. Which meant Harry couldn't slow down his momentum in the given space.

He and Hermione flew straight through the staircase area, over to the opposite corridor. Harry pushed Hermione out and jumped. She landed on the ground and missed the row of knights while Harry went straight through the wall which broke as though a bomb had been detonated.

Ron and Neville just escaped the swipe of two huge clawed paws and crashed into five knights standing motionless on the opposite corridor.

The clanging and clashing lasted a few seconds before everything became quiet.

Hermione shivered and looked up. She had bumped into a wall by the side and could feel a lump on her head. Ron shook his head and groaned as he pushed a knight's armour suit away from his chest.

"Neville?" He called. Neville stirred and blinked as he looked up from underneath two broken knights.

"Here."

Hermione sat up and winced as she felt her head swelling. Ron limped out of the mess and tried to pull Neville out who looked unharmed except for a few cuts.

"Harry!" Hermione suddenly said as she got up and fumbled with her robes to reach for her wand.

She pulled away each piece of the wall until they found a hand sticking out from under a part of the ceiling. Hermione let out a sob.

"Harry?!" Ron yelled as he too used magic to help her get the heavy part away. The three of them stared at the boy.

Harry looked unscathed. If you didn't count for the fact that half of his body was still trapped under the rubble and that his glasses were broken and his robes were torn, he seemed to be sleeping.

"Harry?! Please, wake up! Come on!"

Harry gave a cough and blinked his eyes. They stared at him and he stared back.

"Are y…you okay?" Ron asked, his voice hushed.

Harry ran his hand through his hair to get rid of some of the dust. "Spectacular, Ron."

He pushed away another piece of the wall with too much ease. Or maybe it was too light. Harry looked up just in time to see Hermione faint. Ron caught her, almost in surprise.

* * *

**Shorter? Yeah. But I think this was good enough. **

**Stay tuned for more!**

**Cabba.**


	16. Improvements and Quidditch

**Rinnesuke**** – Hey! You changed your author name! Thanks for the comment!**

**Weird'smyname**** – Sure, it will come up in the characters' conversation at some point in the story. Yes, I think it will be easier to update if the chapters are shorter now that I know how to handle the information and chapters.**

**RedRangerBelt**** – Thanks. Of course! Oh yes. They'll figure everything out soon enough.**

**Oh, I put up a Poll that some of you may find interesting...**

**I hope this chapter length is suitable too!**

**Disclaimer : I don't own any of the original works of the Harry Potter Series.**

**Words – 3024**

* * *

Madam Pomfrey glared at Harry making sure he finished every drop of his Calming Draught. Though he had insisted that he was fine, she hadn't heeded.

The first of November was one of the best days for Harry. Now that his 'condition' had worn off, his skin was sensitive to the heat of the faint sunlight streaming through the windows. Though it felt itchy, he preferred it to freezing.

"May be now, you and your friends will behave. You see what happens when you don't listen to the rules? The Headmaster had specifically told you to stay away from that corridor. And what did you do?"

Harry almost answered her question but then immediately figured out that it was rhetorical.

"May I leave?" Harry asked once she finished checking over him. Madam Pomfrey gave a tight nod.

Harry hoped off bed, his stomach rumbling. He was about to close the door to the Wing, when he turned back to look at the Matron who was still stiff as she tidied up his bed. She, no doubt, thought that he wasn't well enough to be loitering around the school just a day after he had destroyed a section of a wall.

Hoping to cheer her up, he called, "Thank you, Poppy!"

She whirled around, a shocked look on her face. He gave her a salute and ran away before she could say anything else.

* * *

It took Harry about two weeks to get accustomed to the fact that Ron and Hermione were on speaking grounds. Not only that, they were humanely conversing with each other.

Harry expected one of them to blow up at any time.

There were occasional outbursts, of course. Not only among his two friends, but within the walls of the castle. Hogwarts just wouldn't be normal without them.

For example, when on a fine Sunday, Malfoy went into the Hall with green hair; it had made Harry's day.

No one had dared to move when they saw the proud boy walk in, his usual stagger, his nose in the air, the works. The Slytherins made no attempt to tell Malfoy that he had a bad hair day.

That was a good thing, though. It was worth it; to watch Malfoy look at the reflective surface of his golden plate and yell out.

Snape had somehow thought that it was Harry and had immediately given him detention. McGonagall and Snape had a shouting match in the Staff Room.

McGonagall had started to give most Slytherins her 'look'.

Something which Hermione had been trying to perfect whenever Harry and Ron did something not to her liking. Which meant something past the rules.

She was getting rather good at it.

Harry woke up one day to get a present. A box that was filled with water beetles and it had taken him several minutes to get them out of his bed and hair.

The same thing had happened to six other Gryffindors.

The Slytherin team received seven boxes, one for each member, with large initials – W.W.W – as parcel during breakfast the next day. Not knowing what it was, they opened it to get slammed by a pie into their faces.

Harry immediately turned to the Weasely twins who were laughing so hard that one of them had fallen out of his seat. He wasn't the only one.

As the days passed, Harry was able to cope up with the school along with Ron and Hermione. Neville joined a study group in the Library. Gryffindors and Slytherins were having a Cold War right here in Hogwarts.

There should have been a book about this.

Harry was sure that it'd sell for millions.

The weather became steadily colder and people started bringing out their coats. The first sign that winter was approaching was when Marcus Flint, Captain of the Slytherin Team was hit by a snow ball in the face.

The thin layer of snow on the ground wasn't a clue.

"_Lamaria Inflamare_." Hermione whispered and from her wand, blue flames shot out into the glass jar they had kept on the grass. Ron immediately closed the jar with a lid having tiny holes for air.

"That's a third year spell, Hermione." Harry commented. He hadn't tried it, but was sure that he was capable. It seemed easy, but then, nearly everything seemed easy for Hermione. Her Core was obviously very powerful. Now they just had to figure it out.

"Thank you." Hermione said her face going pink. Harry never usually appreciated anyone. If he acknowledged her spell work, it was a huge accomplishment. She leaned back against the large tree by the lake. The early evening looked wonderful with the sun shining on the clouds to give reddish streaks in the sky.

"That's much better. My fingers were a bit numb." Ron sighed touching the jar.

Harry didn't need the heat since he was rather used to not having much clothes to protect against the cold. He had once spent Christmas night wandering the forest in a thin shirt and loose jeans. It had been …amusing to say the most.

"Aren't you cold, Harry?" Hermione asked as she stared at his attire disapprovingly. He had worn his school uniform and robes. He didn't even have his sweater!

"Nope. Did you know that the World Cup Match of 1473 had all 700 fowls that's possible in Quidditch?"

"Yeah. That must have been one weird match. It lasted only a few hours and if people kept messing up so bad–" Ron said and Harry cut in.

"There must have been match fixing."

Ron's eyes widened, "No way!"

Harry looked up from the book and said in a tone of exasperation, "World class Quidditch players cannot mess up a Direct Troll Pass."

"A what?" Hermione asked staring at the book which now felt alien.

"That must have been bad luck. But the authorities check each player, item, team, area and everything for stuff like that. Takes hours and if they do find anything wrong, they don't allow the match to take place until it's all sorted out." Ron explained.

Hermione still looked doubtful about so much information that seemed to be there and she didn't know a single thing about it.

"Yes, but things can still get past security, can't they. Nothing's foolproof. There must have been a leak of sorts for that to happen." Harry reasoned out.

"For a game, it sounds like too much pressure." Hermione commented and the two boys stared at her dumbfounded.

"A game? A game?! It isn't just a game! It is the most noble sport in the entire Wizarding World!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's the only sport in the entire Wizarding World." Hermione pointed out.

"No, it's the most popular one. There are games like Mock Dueling, but it's with fake wands and shields. That's not an official sport, but it's an outdoor game with the family and all. I think we have an old pile of the stuff in our shed." Ron said.

"I still think Quiddictch's much too complicated. But at the same time, it also sounds a bit pointless." Hermione shrugged. Harry blinked at her.

"Pointless?!" Ron asked his voice much louder now. Hermione looked at him curiously and asked, "Fourteen people chase a flying ball. What's so interesting about that?"

"For your information, only two people chase the Snitch and they're the Seekers." Ron shot back.

Hermione stared at him and then looked at Harry, "You're a Seeker right?"

"Yes."

"So, you have to catch the tiny golden ball the size of a golf ball. According to the International Quidditch Committee, the slowest snitch went at 40 mph. "

Harry stared at her and said, "I know that. What's your point?"

"How do you chase something so fast?" She asked exasperated. Ron rolled his eyes, "That's why we Gryffindors were so excited when he got a Nimbus 2000, which is currently the fastest ibroom n the world."

Hermione looked abashed, "Oh."

Ron looked smug. Then they heard rustling from the tree above them. All three looked up just when the snow from every branch fell on them.

They heard loud laughter from some distance off. Harry shook his head roughly almost like a dog. The specks of snow fell on Ron and Hermione.

"Sorry." He said and pointed his wand at them muttering "_Wingardium Leviosa_." The entire snow levitated above them and he sent it flying over to the group of Slytherins who looked up in time to be smacked by a large amount of snow. Most of them were first years and Harry saw Draco Malfoy shaking the snow out of his hair and glaring at him.

He looked at their shoes and concentrated.

Nearly all the Slytherins started to fall over their own feet.

"What the– " Ron began and Hermione elbowed him.

"Why are their shoe laces untied?" She asked suspiciously looking at Harry. He shrugged, "That's a special talent of mine."

"To loosen shoe laces?" Ron asked smirking. Harry nodded seriously.

* * *

"The weather's not bad considering the draught we had yesterday. So, we're lucky here, but it could change anytime when we play. Fred, George, I want you both to be away from each other. It works better like that. Katie, Alicia and Angelina, just play how we did in practice. Harry, I don't have any tips for you because you probably memorized it all."

"Cut out 'probably', please."

"Right. Let's show the Slytherins who has more skill!"

"You suck at last liners, Oliver."

"Let's go!"

The seven Gryffindors marched out of their tents with their brooms tightly clasped. Clad in red and gold robes, Harry felt his empty stomach acting up. Hermione was right. He should have eaten at least dry bread before coming out on to the field.

'Good luck.' Bolt said. Harry felt her leave his mind. McGonagall had strictly told him that she couldn't be with him while playing matches or writing tests. Not that he would cheat, but it was to make others feel that they at least had a fighting chance when Harry was in the room.

They stopped in the inside of the Quidditch stadium, waiting for the doors to open up so they could make their grand entrance.

Harry took steady breaths and looked down. The grass was short and neat, just like he had seen it a few minutes ago. He stared at it at bent down to hold a tuft of grass. He carefully pulled it out, roots and all. Brushing off the mud, he chewed on it. It was fresh and filled with water. It must have had dew drops.

He felt better when he finally swallowed it all.

"Scared, Harry?"

Harry turned to see the other six staring at him as if he had declared to sing, 'Hoggy Warty Hogwarts'.

"No, I just got rid of my butterflies."

"Uhuh." Olive mumbled but continued in a forced calm voice. "I was nervous before my first match."

Harry looked up in interest, "What happened?"

Oliver shrugged, "Took a Bludger to the head two minutes into the game. Woke up a week later in the hospital. Madam Pomfrey has been trying to convince me out of the game for nearly three years now."

Harry stared at him. Suddenly, the darkness split as the doors in front of him opened slowly and dramatically.

"Come on!"

Oliver mounted his broom and the others followed his example. Madam Hooch, standing in the middle of the field, blew her whistle and fourteen players flew into the large stadium. Seven from opposite sides.

Harry flew upwards to see the entire place. The stands were filled with students, and the towers had the teachers and even some others. He saw the Gryffindor area where Hagrid was right behind a red-head and a bushy haired girl. He raised his hand and the Gryffindors exploded into cheers.

Turning his broom downwards he sped off to form the semicircle of six Gryffindors. Six Slytherins formed the other semicircle while the two captains shook their hands. It looked like they were both trying to crush the other's hand.

"Right." Said Madam Hooch, carefully looking at all the fourteen players with her hawk-like eyes. "I want a nice clean game. (Harry looked at the Slytherins who smirked. _Yeah, that'll happen_.) From all of you."

Flint and Wood mounted their brooms. Hooch kicked the Quidditch box kept in front of her. The lid opened and the bludgers flew straight up. By the time they came back down, they would have already started.

"The Snitch has been released. Keep in mind Firsties that whoever catches it will get a hundred and fifty points for their house."

Lee Jordan, a third year Gryffindor, was commentating the match like he had been from the last year. He was the Weasely Twins' best friend.

Harry suddenly caught a glimpse of the Snitch close to the Slytherin end. His fingers were twitching and he held it in. A few more seconds…

Hooch took out the Quaffle and threw it up into the air. A loud trumpet horn was sounded indicating the start of the match.

The crowd started screaming for each player as six of them went after the Quaffle. Harry sped towards the Slytherin side and flew upwards. He couldn't see it. Scanning each area he flinched every time he saw a gold flash. But it turned out to be one of the Weasely's watches and the Slytherin Chaser, Carsus Devlin's glasses.

He flew over the match trying to focus on searching for the Snitch. But his attention kept wandering towards the fight over the Quaffle.

Harry's broom suddenly jerked towards the left. He gripped the handle with both hands and stared at it.

In the stands, Ron frowned as he stared through Hagrid's large binoculars. He was looking through one lens while Hermione looked through the other.

"Is his broom moving on its own?" Hermione asked staring carefully. Suddenly Harry's broom turned a 360 and Harry yelped.

"What's he doing? He can show of after he catches the Snitch…" Ron mumbled.

Harry clenched his jaw and tried to go lower. But the broom kept being yanked around by some invisible force. Suddenly, Harry just couldn't do anything. He had lost complete control.

Bolt growled and started barking madly. Ron stared at her and asked, "What is it, girl?"

But Bolt kept barking and started attracting lots of attention.

"Something's wrong!" Neville said hurriedly. Bolt immediately jumped on him and he nearly lost his balance. Hagrid caught him.

"What? What is it?!" Hermione asked frantically.

"Someone's done something to it. Or doing something right now!"

"Who?"

"She doesn't know…wait I think– "

Bolt leapt off Neville and started running under the seats. Hermione grab for the binoculars to see where the students would suddenly jump and yell.

"Where's she goin'?" agrid asked looking anxiously at Harry who looked like a Cow Boy from the West. Except he wasn't enjoying it.

Fred and George circled around Harry trying to pull him onto their broom but the broom jolted about ten feet up and gave a big jerk. Harry lost his seating and was hanging onto it by one hand. The entire crowd gasped.

"Come on, Bolt." Ron muttered desperately.

Bolt shut her eyes and felt the world spinning. She enjoyed this feeling. The feeling of rushing through space to reach another point. She flashed to one of the Staff Towers right below Quirrell who wasn't moving. She saw that he was mumbling silently and not blinking. His robes were sticking out through the grab and she smiled viciously.

Ron and Hermione saw Quirrell jump, yell and startle everyone around him.

"Merlin, Harry was right! There is something up with Quirrell!" Ron said and Hermione pushed the binoculars up to see Harry.

Harry looked up to see his broom stop swishing around. He swung once as though he were on monkey bars and got his leg up on the other side. The crowd cheered when he got his bearing and he almost at once saw a golden flash just below the commentators' box.

"Flint scores. Seventy to Sixty – Slytherin. Katie…wait, I think Potter's seen the Snitch!" Lee yelled over the microphone. Bolt flashed to Neville and barked happily. Harry leaned onto his broom to go faster. He'd just seen Terence Higgs, the Slytherin Seeker, fly towards the Snitch.

"Whoa! Their coming towards the main… hey, hey, there are people here!" Lee shouted as Harry and Higgs narrowly missed hitting the Tower as the Snitch flew towards the other end.

Higgs was not bad. He turned smoothly and with speed. Harry frowned and went faster. The Snitch went high up and like synchronized fliers then chased after it.

"You can do it, Harry!" Hermione squealed and Ron winced.

The Snitch suddenly took a steep dive and so did the Seekers. The other players stopped in their tracks to watch the showdown.

The crowed held its breath as they went at astounding speed towards the ground.

"They're going to crash!" Dean shouted in shock.

It looked that way. Higgs was losing his cool and pulled away before Harry. Harry let out a breath as he put his feet on the end of the handle and pushed his weight downwards to level with the ground, while not breaking his momentum. The crowd gasped. Again.

The Snitch was right there. If his hands could have been a bit longer…

Harry got a strange idea and slowly let go of the broom. It was just like standing on a bar. A moving bar. Moving at about 70 mph. No big deal.

McGonagall put her hand on her chest to calm herself. _James Potter, what have you done…?_

Harry took a step forward on the broom and fell on the Snitch and tumbled onto the ground.

"Oh no!" Hermione shrieked. She grabbed Ron's shoulder and everyone stared at the player who was trying to get up.

"I think 'e's gonna be sick!" Hagrid said in shock.

Harry clapped a hand over his mouth and gulped. He blinked. Standing up shakily, he looked up at the silent crowd.

* * *

**Did any of you understand that? Ha! You might want to read 'How To Retch'…**

**Stay tuned!**

**Cabba.**


	17. Stirring Conversations

**Yup, I love you guys. It is as inevitable as the rising Sun. As unpredictable as the actions of Percy Jackson and as incomprehensible as the words of Harry Potter.**

**Rinnesuke – I actually did mean 'foul', but then 'fowl' sounds much better. I'm glad that you caught it!**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx – (I like your name!) Thanks, I loved those lines too. Couldn't wait to put them in my story!**

**RedRangerBelt – Harry actually did swallow the Snitch. You have to read my fic, 'How to Retch' for more details. But I did summarize it here. For your other queries, read ahead!**

**Weird'smyname – I explained what happened in this chapter. And thank you very much.**

**NoTagBacks – I was touched. TOUCHED! Your words were beautiful. When I read your review. It made me feel all mushy inside. That's what fuels Harry in the future years. He may be just angry now, but wait till he hears what and how it really happened…**

**Triksele – Hey! Welcome to my story! You'll understand this a little better if you've read 'Pumki' and 'Her Choices'. They are crossovers with the PJO series. But this can stand as a different one since I haven't included Percy here.**

**tiger1lily – Hi, no it isn't the year end. I'm just speeding things up. You'll see soon. I'm trying to think of a way to put Draco in the story properly without making him OOC. Snape is one of my most thought out characters since he has his own bucket of secrets and he lets his past cloud his judgements.**

**This chapter is dedicated to '_NoTagBacks_' for the insightful review posted!**

**Disclaimer: You know it! I don't own any recognizable characters or scenes from the Harry Potter series.**

**Words –2335**

* * *

"Yeh just gave yer Dad a run fer 'is money. Not an easy thin'. Brillian' yeh were!" Hagrid cheered him and passed him hot cocoa. The wind was becoming bitterly cold now that Harry was safely on the ground. He had spent an hour in the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey had threatened to put his name on one of the beds because he seemed to be there at least once a month or so.

"I still can't believe you did that to me." Harry mumbled and stared at Ron pointedly who looked unashamed. Fang let out a low moan and drooled over Harry's robes. Bolt lifted her head from under the table and gave the larger dog a small reprimanding bark.

"I can't believe there were stories like that!" Hermione said shaking her head.

"Don't worry, we convinced Mum to burn the book after Ginerva threw up her dinner when she heard it." Ron said leisurely and Hagrid chuckled.

After Harry was sent to the Hospital Wing, 'Poppy' had tried to make him drink some castor smelling liquid but after Harry had convinced her against it, Ron came up with the brilliant idea of reading a excerpt from 'The Toadstool Tales'. Wizard's Bedtime Stories that were so downright _sweet _it made him puke_. _Harry had first-hand knowledge that the Snitch tasted cold and like grass.

He wasn't sure, though, whether he was ever going to forgive Ron.

"Don't look at me like. You should be thanking me!" Ron said at Harry's disbelieving expression.

"When I wear a pink tutu." Harry said and Hermione choked on her cocoa.

"Ah, don' take it so 'ard, 'arry. Yeh won!"

"Yes. But I actually wanted to catch the Snitch and not swallow it." Harry said as if admitting a great crime. Hagrid chuckled.

"It's not funny! I mean, the story was ridiculous, Harry's flying skills were –"

"Amazing?" Harry asked cutting Hermione off. Ron snorted.

"Dangerous! What if you've gotten hurt?"

"You're talking to the bloke who pushed off a wall, Hermione." Ron reminded her.

"It was Quirrell who jinxed your broom!" Hermione shouted and Harry stared at her.

"Now that entirely stupid of him! He was trying to make me fall in front of the whole school?" Harry asked, rolling his eyes.

"I still don't believe yeh." Hagrid mumbled.

"That's because you didn't see him! We saw Bolt go and bite out his robes!" Ron exclaimed and Harry raised an eyebrow at Bolt who just said, 'He's an evil git who deserved it. We just need more proof.'

"Why would Quirrell wanna 'urt 'arry?"

"Bolt says he has something dark about him." Harry said.

"Hah!" Ron yelled triumphantly. Bolt chuckled.

"A few days ago, you were so sure that Snape was the bad guy here." Hermione pointed out.

"A few days ago, you thought all teachers were saints or something." Ron snapped.

"Ha. Been meaning the talk to yeh, Ron. How's Charlie?" Hagrid said changing the topic completely.

Ron tried not to sigh, "Swell. I mean he's in Romania. He used to send a lot of letters to Mum last year. Well, this year too, but last year, they got a Hungarian Horntail!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione looked interested in that but Harry frowned, "Aren't they really rare?"

"They are! This one's about ninety years old!"

"Whoa! He got one las' year?" Hagrid asked excitedly. Harry looked at him and saw silver white strands of hair in the shelf behind him. Was that Unicorn tail?"

"Yup! He said that's the meanest he ever had in his section!"

"I thought Dragon breeding was banned." Hermione asked. Ron rolled his eyes, "In England and Scotland. Romania has only one centre that has legal papers and stuff to do it."

"What kinda meat does it eat?" Hagrid asked curiously and as Ron launched into the details of the dragon's lifestyle, Harry's eyes roamed over Hagrid's shelves.

Beside the Unicorn hair was a huge ring with a hundred keys. There were some black and white moving photographs, some old flasks, a larger framed photo of a huge young looking Hagrid sitting with a short man with kind eyes like their friend. Hagrid didn't exactly look like him, but Harry knew that it was his father.

Beside that were newspaper clippings, a large paint brush and of course, Hagrid's pink umbrella.

Harry got up to keep his mug on the table, but at the same time he took the frame and looked at the man. He had thin hair and was wearing a loose shirt with printed designs and old styled pants. He had his arm on Hagrid's large shoulder.

"That's me Dad. I was starting me second year 'ere at 'ogwarts. Dad was so proud." He sighed and Hermione leaned over.

"He seems nice, Hagrid."

" 'e was. The best Dad, ever. Nothin' bad about 'im." Hagrid sounded sad as he said it and Hermione patted his arm.

"He was good friends with Dumbledore. That's how I got in to 'ogwarts. But I think Dumbledore would 'ave let me in anyways. Great man, Dumbledore, great man. Always give people second chances."

"Always?" Harry asked shrewdly. Hagrid missed his tone as he nodded.

"Me Dad was never angry. Never scolded when I got 'ome with a Niffler or baby Hippogriffs. 'e said 'e liked all those strange creatures like dragons, thestrals, Cerberus, Acromentulae –"

"Wait, what?!" Ron exclaimed. Hermione and Harry exchanged a look as the three of them stared at Hagrid.

"They are jus' misunderstood…"

"No, I mean, er… they sound interesting. Have you met any of those…creatures?" Hermione asked glaring at Ron.

"Well, yeah. Yeh get the see all those kinds when yeh visit all kinds of places. Yeh know that France 'as the biggest unicorns –"

"Oh! So you've seen a Cerberus and an Acromentula…"

"Yep!"

Harry stared at Hagrid. Why was he telling them that he had seen the creatures? Wouldn't the logical thing be that he had never heard of them or had only read about them in books? The teachers knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione had seen the three headed dog. But no one said anything…

"So, if you had a Cerberus…?" Harry asked slowly.

"Oh, I actually do 'ave one! Fluffy's the sweetes' thing I've ever met!"

Hermione's jaw dropped, "_That thing has a name_?!"

Hagrid's grin disappeared as if he'd only just remembered that they knew about the dog.

"Fluffy?! You named it Fluffy!" Ron asked shell-shocked.

"Had 'im since 'e was a pup." Hagrid justified.

"Why is Fluffy _in_ the school?" Harry asked but Hagrid already had his guard up.

"None of yer business."

"We nearly got eaten by that dog!" Ron yelled.

"Who told yeh to go in there? That place is forbidden!"

"Long story short. Ron and Hermione were arguing." Harry said pointing at his two friends who glared at him.

"So?!" Hagrid asked bewildered.

"That usually leads to many things, Hagrid. But why is there a Cerberus in the castle?"

"Nothin' yeh need teh know!"

"Fluffy's yours. So it should either be in the forest or somewhere else, not in a castle full of students." Ron reasoned out.

"I'm not tellin' yeh anything!"

"Well, then, we'll figure it out." Hermione said and Hagrid stared at her.

"Drop it. The three of yeh. Ye'll only get into trouble if yeh try to –"

"It's guarding something, isn't it?" Harry said suddenly.

Hagrid's shocked face was enough answer.

"What?! What is it guarding?" Hermione asked excitedly. Hagrid shook his head.

"No, yeh three better go back the castle. It's getting dark."

"Wait! It's that thing that you took from the vault, the day we went to Diagon Alley, right Hagrid?" Harry suddenly exclaimed.

"That 'as nothin' to do with this."

"There's something connected."

"Come on, Hagrid! Just give us a hint!" Ron asked exasperated.

"Look, it 'as nothin' the do with yeh! Off with yeh! It's all between Dumbledore and Flamel and yeh can go and forget it –"

"Flamel? As in Nicolas Flamel?" Harry asked shocked that Hagrid actually spilled it out. He hadn't thought that Hagrid was capable of a tongue slip.

Hagird went quiet and Ron said, "Go on."

* * *

"Honestly, Ron! 'Go on'? I thought he was going to kick us all out!" Hermione huffed as they entered the library.

"Well, we've got about two hours before dinner. Let's start searching." Ron said completely ignoring Hermione. She narrowed her eyes at him before turning to Harry, "And you! You have no right to complain about the Snitch. You were the one who performed those stunts –"

"Stunts? I was trying to get the Snitch, for your information, Hermione. And guess what? I did!" Harry retorted. No way was he letting her on his back about it.

"But it was so dangerous!"

"Yeah, okay. I'll try not to do it again."

"You better not!"

"Could we just drop it? Harry's already got to write an essay about Quidditch –"

"The dangers of Quidditch."

"Yeah. I think he gets it. Now where's that book?" Ron said and Hermione huffed.

"The book's right here." Harry said and went straight into the fourth section and pulled out an old and thick book.

"I had actually taken out that book last week to brush up on Aether." Hermione said looking at the name.

"You already read the book?" Harry looked up as they sat down at the study table.

"Not the entire thing. Just for a bit of light reading." Hermione nodded.

"This is light?" Ron asked and Hermione frowned at him.

"Got it. Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone." Harry read.

"The What?!" Hermione and Ron chorused. Hermione said it in a shocked tone while Ron said it in a confused voice.

"Honestly, Ron! Don't you read?" Hermione asked and pulled the book away from Harry to read the page.

"Look. Nicolas Flamel made the Sorcerer's Stone which has been in his possession for more than five centuries. It produces the Elixir of Life which gives the drinker eternal life as long as he/she takes it once in four years. The stone, if properly used, can also turn any metal into pure gold." Harry explained before Hermione could start reading the entire page.

"A stone that gives you gold and makes you immortal? No wonder it's guarded with a Cerberus." Ron mumbled looking at the page for a picture of the stone. It looked like a faint red pebble from the beach.

"I don't think that's how the stone is." Hermione mumbled.

"How would you know how it looks like?" Harry suddenly asked, but she didn't answer. Ron gave Harry a shrug.

"Well, let's put the pieces together." Harry said.

"Someone tried to steal from Gringotts." Hermione said, shutting the book.

"But that was after Hagrid emptied the vault." Ron said.

"Dumbledore and Flamel were friends and when Flamel realized that someone was after it, he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe." Harry reasoned.

"And he apparently thought that Hogwarts was safer than Gringotts." Ron put in.

"So, they hid the stone somewhere below the school…" Hermione said.

"And there are seven barriers to break through before reaching it." Harry supposed.

"Seven?"

"Ron and I heard Snape threatening Quirrell a few weeks ago about Fluffy and the other enchantments." Harry whispered.

Hermione frowned and said, "So, may be each teacher helped in it?"

"The first one is Hagrid's. The second one was Sprout's." Ron summarized.

"The third one was Flitwick. He would have charmed the keys." Harry added.

"Snape and McGonagall must have done something too." Hermione suggested.

"I'm sure Dumbledore would have set up the last enchantment." Ron said.

"What about Quirrell?" Hermione asked.

"He must have done something too." Harry muttered frowning and stared at the binding of the thick book.

He slowly shook his head, "If we assume Quirrell is the one who tried to steal from Gringotts –"

"He survived Gringotts!" Ron said suddenly. "You know, I really think he's using dark magic!" His voice went small at the end.

Hermione looked around frantically, "Lower your voice, Ron!"

"It was low!"

"Guys?" Harry said trying not to sound tired. "We got bigger things here. My suggestion would have been to leave it all alone –"

"But someone's trying to steal it!" Ron hissed.

"Someone tried to steal it. It may have been Quirrell, but we don't have any proof." Harry corrected him.

Ron opened and shut his mouth.

"Don't you think we need to tell this to someone?" Hermione suggested nervously.

"Who? Hermione, we aren't sure who is actually the culprit. It might not be Quirrell, it may be someone else." Harry whispered. The other two stared at him.

"But…but, you said that Bolt felt dark vibes from him. And Ron and I saw him jinxing your broom!"

"Counter jinxes require continuous eye-contact and complete concentration too, Hermione." Harry reminded her.

"What about those dark vibes?" Ron challenged him.

"Residual magic of dueling? Didn't he say that he came from Africa after fighting off a zombie? The official term for zombie is 'Inferi'. They're enchanted with black magic." Harry stopped himself and then said, "Now that I think about it, Quirrell should have used the term 'Inferi' and not 'Zombie'…"

"May be he said 'Zombie' to not spook us?" Ron muttered.

"I don't get you, Harry. First you say it's Quirrell, then you say it's not –" Hermione said but Harry cut in again.

"I never said it was him. I said there's too much evidence that suggests that it's him. He's much too obvious. It could be a deflection if someone is reading the signs like we are."

"I thought the most obvious was Snape." Ron said desperately trying to catch up with Harry.

"It could be him. It could be Quirrell, but it could be someone working from the shadows and twisting around the entire circumstance."

"Who?"

Harry looked at them almost in surprise that they hadn't understood it yet, "Voldemort."

* * *

**Much shorter. But that's because the story is building up now. Christmas is coming! Whooo!**

**Stay tuned for the next update!**

**Cabba.**


	18. Winter Fights

**Hiya!**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx – Congrats on your progress. Liked the 3****rd**** chapter of 'The Meeting'. Thanks. No, Percy'll appear after Harry's third year. Sorry, but you guys will be surprised how he's introduced. Ha…showers –the birth of horrible singing voices and author names… I like Xmas too.**

**RedRangerBelt – Thanks! Harry isn't sure of that yet. Of course, they'll try to stop it. Ron and Hermione are not sure to believe him at the moment.**

**theHuntress101 – Sorry, you didn't think much of the last chapter, but this has a bit of action.**

**Weird'smyname – Your prayer is answered! In this and the next chappie!**

**I've put up a prayer for the attack in Newtown on my profile. What do you think of it? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the HP series. Never will.**

**Words –3066**

* * *

"_Aw come on, Rose! Don't you wanna grow up and be a wonderful charming lady? You need to eat!" James groaned. Rose folded her small hands and turned her head with a huff._

_James sighed. Getting his little daughter to eat when Harry woke her up very rudely was a futile job._

_Rose simply looked at her brother who was seated in his high chair next to hers, diligently sipping his oatmeal from a plastic spoon. Half of it dribbled down his chin and bib. He didn't seem to mind because he liked doing things on his own._

" '_Arry!" She called hitting him on his shoulder. He looked at her and offered her some of his breakfast. She looked at his spoon and wrinkled her nose. But she did open her mouth._

_James looked relieved at that and turned to see whether Lily had left their camera in the living room. _

"_Accio Camera!" He whispered flicking his wand below the table s that the children wouldn't see it. There was a small bump over head but no camera came, flying. He looked at Harry and Rose for a second before hoping off his chair and running out of the dining room to search for it._

_Apparently he didn't think that his two little children would have done anything catastrophic._

_The moment he left the room, a glint came in Rose's little eyes and she leaned over Harry's bowl and spat back the breakfast from her mouth. Harry didn't seem to understand what she had just done. Rose let out a small giggle and clapped her hands to amuse herself._

"_Wosie…?" Harry mumbled, staring at his half empty bowl. He looked at her trying to get out of her chair to, no doubt, hide before their father came back. When would he ever learn to never leave them alone in a very vulnerable room?_

_Harry pouted at his breakfast and lifted his bowl. He poured the contents into Rose's bowl which overflowed. The oatmeal dripped onto her hand and dress. She let out a sound of frustration and shot her best baby glare towards Harry who folded his arms and gave her the cold shoulders._

_Without thinking (or maybe she gave it an extensive research in her head), Rose took her bowl and dumped the entire thing onto Harry's head._

* * *

Harry opened his eyes and stared around. It was quite dark. But it was most certainly the First year Dorms. Laying back, he tried to recall what he had seen. It was obviously a dream, but it had left him feeling nervous and twitchy. He swallowed and looked at the red canopy above his head.

He had never dreamed about his sister. Or maybe he had and didn't remember. He rubbed his hand over his face and decided that he could no longer sleep. Getting up to pull on his robes and glasses, Harry trudged towards the door and down the stairs. The fire place in the Common Room had a few glowing coals. Sitting by it, he tried to recall his dream.

It hadn't been unpleasant. He had felt it through a third person's view. His sister hadn't been a very obedient child. It was as though she had planned to act all cute with him so that their Dad would leave the room for some reason. Then she had executed her revenge on him. He could barely remember pushing her crib towards the wall just to annoy her in the morning.

Harry blinked and focused in front of him. He hadn't seen the large Christmas Tree towering over everything in the room. He had never kept count of the holidays. Halloween was branded in his head. And of course Percy's and Sally's birthdays.

Speaking of which, Sally's birthday was in five days. The 29th of the month would make her 30 years old. He wondered if she'd still look the same. Maybe, a few grey hairs. But that didn't matter. He still hoped that she'd make her cookies and milkshakes for Percy and sing him lullabies when he couldn't sleep. He hoped that she'd have her comforting smile which made her eyes light up.

Harry got up and rubbed his eyes as he trudged back up the stairs. He was about to go into his dorm before changing his mind and climbing further up. He passed all the five levels and reached the last one. The Seventh Year Dorms had a closed door and Harry wondered if any of them were awake.

He turned to look where the small corridor lead to and saw a window at the end. Every level had one window at the end of the short corridor past the door and Harry walked towards this to see the view.

Which was rather amazing.

Harry opened the window and leaned out to feel the cold frosty wind blow against his face. It was snowing quite heavily. He turned and looked up. Reaching his hand above, he felt a firm flat roof surrounding the coned structure of the tower. He was tempted to climb up, but then Bolt woke up and shouted in his head.

He learnt a new swear word.

* * *

When Ron woke up, faint sunlight was streaming in through the windows. He yawned and stretched. He swung his curtains open and grinned at the sight of his presents. He turned to see Harry's curtains still drawn. Ron knew full well that the black haired boy was awake and he shouted, "Oi! Come on, we've got presents!"

Neville jerked awake and groaned. Dean rolled his eyes as he was already awake and grinned when he heard Seamus yell back at Ron, "I was aboutta score when ya woke me!"

"Huh?"

"Quidditch, mate." Seamus grumbled and drew open the curtains. His face brightened as he saw a large pile of wrapped gifts by his bed.

"What was the score?" Dean asked grabbing a large packet to unwrap.

"Dunno, but I was on Harry's Nimbus and I think Gryffindor was winning."

"Glad to be of service." Harry's voice came as his curtains were drawn back to. Harry frowned at the pile of presents at the foot of his bed, not expecting this many.

"Hey! Thanks, Harry." Neville called as he turned over his book on 'Plants from the Deep'. Neville loved Herbology and was the only one whose knowledge of plants could rival Harry's and Hermione's.

Harry nodded and picked up a brightly wrapped box which caught his eye at first.

"Oh. I think that's my Mum's…" Ron said looking at it. "I told her that you weren't expecting anything for Christmas… uh oh."

Harry opened it to see a lumpy bright green jumper with an enchanted picture of a broom and Snitch battling around. A smaller box was next to it which, Harry saw, contained Chocolate Fudge.

"She makes us all a jumper every year. Mines always maroon." Ron said looking at his own jumper.

"I like maroon." Harry said suddenly. He didn't exactly like it as much as he said, but Ron's jumper had a darker shade of colour than his bright green one. Ron and Harry shared a look of understanding and threw each other their respective jumper.

Ron immediately put it on and his hair clashed horribly with the green sweater which made Neville, Dean and Seamus burst into ill-concealed laughter.

Harry wore his jumper, not out of the cold, but because he felt a little touched that Mrs. Weasely would make and give him one. Sure she could have just duplicated one of her previously made jumpers and changed the colour, but it was the thought that counted. Making a mental note to thank her for it, Harry tried a little of her fudge which was very complementary to his morning taste buds.

He took a rectangular, slightly heavy package. It felt like a hard-bound book and Hagrid's name was written on the small card. He took out the cover and out fell a brown book. Harry read the words embossed on it, 'Passed Moments'.

It was a photo album. Harry opened it and the first photo was that of three toddlers laughing as if the photographer had made a silly face. A boy and girl side by side with a tiny baby between them leaning against them for support.

The elder boy, who looked nearly a year old, had black unruly hair like the smaller infant. His bright green eyes twinkled in the flash of the photo. Beside him was a red-haired baby girl with fancy clips on her hair. Her hazel eyes shone with mischief and she had one arm carefully around the small baby in the front who had sky blue eyes and gurgled waving his fists around and clapping. The background was a wall in a royal red hue with a window facing outdoors into a field.

The caption for the photo was, 'The Next Generation Potters.'

Harry had no idea how long he stared at the photo. Watching the three children, who were supposed to have normal happy lives of which one was dead and two others were orphaned and pushed to some corner of the world, was self abuse, Harry thought. He had to tear his eyes away from the photo with difficulty, when Ron's voice reached his ears, seeming to come from somewhere in a tunnel.

"HARRY?!"

Harry jerked his head, "What?"

"I've been calling for some time. You had zoned out. Something wrong?" Ron asked walking around his bed towards Harry. The latter immediately shut the book and stuffed it under his sheets and grabbed another present. "Nothing. Just caught off-guard. What do you suppose this is?"

"Uh…" Ron said frowning, "What were you holding before?"

" A gift. Christmas Gift. Merry Christmas, Ron."

"Harry, I –"

"Feels like a robe." Harry said not listening to Ron and removed the wrappings off a grey shimmering clothe. Ron stared at it forgetting what he was about to say. Harry's thoughts too took a turn.

He removed the cloth completely and stood up after pushing away the cover and sheets.

"It's some sort of cloak." He mumbled. Unfolding it, it hung at the length of an average man's built. It was strange to touch. Almost flowing on his arms as he held it.

Ron gasped, "It's your Dad's Invisibility Cloak!"

Harry looked at him, eyes wide. An Invisibility Cloak!

"He had a… he…"

"I swear it is! Put it on!"

Harry swung it around himself and put up the hood of the cloak. Ron gave another gasp and Harry ran towards the mirror.

He was glad that the others had already left.

His reflection wasn't in the mirror. Finally! He had a way to shut up that irritating little –

"There's a card!" Ron cried and swooped down to pick it up. The words were in a loopy cursive handwriting.

_This once belonged to your father. I have had it in my possession for these years but now it is time to have it returned to you._

_Use it well._

_P.S. Thank you very much for the Nutty Chocolate Frog Pack. It made my day as it was the odd one out of the dozen books I have received. _

"Dumbledore." Harry said very well remembering the order of Chocolate Frogs he had delivered for the Headmaster.

"Harry! You have any idea how hard it is to get Nutty Chocolate Frogs?!" Ron exclaimed forgetting all about the rare Invisibility Cloak passed from father to great great great grandfather to son.

* * *

The day went by smoothly. The boys had managed convinced Harry to join in their snowball fight which somehow turned into a snowball war with Harry shouting out declamations like 'NO FIGHT IS TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY!' or 'ATTACK TILL NO MAN STANDS!'

Needless to say they had all come back shivering and wet except for Harry who seemed to have dodged every snowball.

"I'm glad winter is only one of the seasons of the year." Fred muttered waving his snow filled cap around.

"I'm glad that Hermione's isn't around for the holidays. She wouldn't have survived." Ron said glaring at Harry who shrugged as he took a wedding picture of Jacob and Melody Potter from the album Hagrid had gifted him with. He stared at the newlyweds who were laughing at the camera and kissing at random times. Pocketing it without another thought, he went down for lunch.

They had a banquet fit for a king for breakfast and lunch as everyone admired the Hall Decorations. There were four Christmas Trees much larger than the one they had in the Common Room. The amount of décor was grand with gold and silver baubles, ribbons, bows, candy canes, Father Christmas and ,any more.

After lunch, Ron bid Harry good bye as the latter gathered up his wits and walked towards the Entrance where Dumbledore was waiting for him. It was intimidating to feel the eyes of those people staring at him but Dumbledore easily ignored them.

They walked towards the outdoors where McGonagall stood by the entrance. She was holding a quill and greeted them as they approached.

"Good afternoon Headmaster, Mr. Potter. I hope the experience is what you've wished for."

She gave Dumbledore the quill and whipped out her wand. Harry looked up at the Headmaster who indicated him to hold the seemingly normal quill. McGonagall concentrated on it and muttered, "_Portus_."

The quill glowed blue and Harry was taken off-guard when he felt a jerk at his naval and he felt as though he was flying at impossible speeds.

Dumbledore smiled at him calmly and Harry felt the ground slam beneath his feet. He stumbled but the older man caught him with surprising strength and speed.

"Th…thank you." Harry mumbled and looked at the quill which still had a faint glow.

"Keep it in your jacket pocket, Harry." He said and started walked. It was then Harry realized that they weren't in or anywhere near Hogwarts.

"Sir, how…? Where are we?"

"That was a port-key. Convenient and useful for transporting large numbers of people. I could have taken you for side-along Apparition, I suppose, but in my experience of Wizard travelling, it's best if we start off with a port-key. Here we are. Mayden Cross, about five miles from London Central. Our destination is Goldie's Children Carer Centre. Right there."

Harry noticed a large white building looming in front of them. There was a tall fence around the entire place which resembled a prison more than an orphanage.

"Not a very lively place, I'm afraid. But since it is a bright day, I'm sure Daniel will be somewhere on the ground and not inside. Why don't you search for him while I have a talk with the manager about his place in Hogwarts next year?"

"Yes, sir." Harry said and went towards the right where there was a small sand box with children running around and screaming. There was no one to supervise them. Harry turned to see Dumbledore walk through the main entrance. Harry looked around to see a row of short trees planted beside the fence for shade. Adjusting his cap, Harry passed the kids around trying to spot Daniel.

He had seen Daniel's photo in the Family Book. He looked just like Harry except for smaller ears, chubby cheeks, round chin and blue eyes. He had the same black hair and seemed to be on the thinner side of the scale. He didn't have any glasses, though.

"Oi! Potter?!" Someone called from behind and Harry stopped, his feet just missing a stray leaf rake on the ground. He spun around to face a towering gang of boys who looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. The main one was five feet tall with thin blonde hair and blue eyes. His face, already ugly, was mashed up because of the scowl.

"When did you get four eyes? Didn't I tell you stay off our side of the ground?" He snarled at Harry who simply looked back at him. The boy must have mistaken him for Daniel.

"Actually, I –"

"No excuses! You better start running before I break your jaw!"

Harry tried not to glare at him. This guy had definitely bullied Daniel around…

"You got ten seconds to escape!" The blonde boy said grabbing his jacket collar. His friends smirked.

Harry looked at the thick hand holding his jacket and back at him, "You've got three seconds to get your hand of my jacket."

The boy blinked confused.

_1…_

"That's how ( _2…_) you wanna play?"

_3._

Harry stamped on the tip of the boy's foot shoe using his heel with as much force as he could. The boy yelled and started hopping in place. One of the others started towards Harry who kicked the rake off the ground. The handle hit the second boy in the stomach and he went down.

Two other boys advanced on either sides and Harry (avoided rolling his eyes with difficulty) jumped up to grab a branch of the tree above them. He swung up to place his feet on the branch and watched as the two boys collided against each other. That move was so pathetic.

Another boy took the rake with the four sharp points facing Harry. He swung it and Harry dodged them and jumped down on the boy's back. He gave one terrifying blow in his shoulder with the elbow and the boy crumbled.

Harry turned to look at the others. He said, "Boo."

They scattered and the main bloke staggered towards, "Why you little piec–"

Harry pushed his trusty rake towards him and blonde did the classic move of stepping onto the rungs. The entire rake flipped up and smacked him so hard in the face that he fell back amidst the cheers of the smaller kids and other girls who were in the sand box. Harry walked towards one of the boys who was groaning and trying to get up.

"Don't ever cross me again." Harry said firmly and the boy had the decency to look afraid at the threat.

Harry took off towards the other side of the building. He was sure that was where Daniel would be if he wasn't inside. When the noise of the children faded, Harry saw a lone figure hunched behind some logs under a dry tree.

* * *

**Thought you'd see Dan right now, huh. This is a cliffhanger. I implore you not to hurt me!**

**Stay tuned for the much awaited meeting!**

**Cabba.**


	19. Cursed Reflections

**RedRangerBelt – All your questions are directly answered here.**

**Weird'smyname – I'll try to put it in. It might not come in this story. May be the next year…**

**Guest – You will be satisfied by the chapter, I assure you! Go on, young Padawan.**

**NoTagBacks – Zombies and Inferi were Harry's musing. It may evolve later, but let's see. Yes, I'm quite sure that Muggles can see Inferi. They are very solid and very real.  
Harry doesn't have a very basic conscience of danger and willing pain. He isn't masochistic, but there's a part of him, you have yet to discover.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of the Harry Potter series. Never will!**

**Words – 3921**

* * *

He moved carefully. Daniel seemed to be concentrating on something. He had worn a faded red jacket which looked rather thin for the weather. His hair was just like Harry's a bit shorter but with more spikes as though Daniel hadn't even bothered combing.

Harry stopped in his tracks and climbed up one of the trees. He easily walked from one branch to another, crossing each tree until he was above Daniel. Harry stared at him.

The small boy was in a cross legged position leaning over a few stones of which three were floating half a feet above the ground. Daniel focused in them harder and two of them fell down but the last one went a bit higher.

"Try using you hand." Harry said and Daniel jerked back so hard that the stone flew away from him.

The younger boy stared at the speaker casually leaning on a branch of the tree.

"Wh…what?" He stammered.

Harry jumped down and sat by him. "Try to channel your magic through your hand. It will be easier to focus."

Daniel looked as though Harry had told him to go jump off a cliff. "Magic?"

"Well, what you're doing is not puppetry with invisible strings. So yes, magic." Harry said dryly almost enjoying Daniel's expression.

"Harry?"

"At your service."

"You look like me!"

"That's probably because we're related."

"I look like you!"

"Refer to my previous statement."

"You're not 555 years old?"

"Last I checked, no."

"Why do you talk like that?"

"Like what?"

Daniel indicated some hand gestures which soon looked like he was impersonating a windmill.

"Could you repeat that, please?" Harry asked trying to see the pattern with which Daniel moved his hands.

"I mean…is magic really there? Is there a whole school for me? Do I get a wand? Do I have to wear purple robes with moons and stars?"

"Yes. Yes. Yes. No." Harry recited. Daniel stared at him and hesitantly reached out to touch his shoulder.

"You're real." He whispered. Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yes. And you aren't dreaming."

"Okay. Tell me something only Harry and I would know." Daniel said firmly.

Harry leaned in and said, "Hedwig is not a courier pigeon."

Daniel had once referred to the owl like that and Harry was glad that he hadn't read the letter out aloud. Hedwig would have pecked him half to death.

Daniel's cheeks went pink and it wasn't because of the cold.

"Uh…yeah. That sort of slipped out into my pen, so…"

Harry just rolled his eyes, "If she heard you, she'd make sure that you'd have a permanent fear of owls."

"Uhuh." Daniel said. They stayed quiet for some time until he piped up, "This is getting a bit awkward. Tell me about our family."

Harry dug into his pocket and brought out the photo he had taken earlier.

"Jacob and Melody." Harry said unnecessarily. Daniel stared at the photo which shook a bit at first.

"Can I keep it?"

"Yes. I have some more mixed in the rest of the pictures, but you'll get them next year – "

"Why?"

"Because I have to segregate it and I'm not completely free. The number of tests are increasing –"

"Tests on magic?"

"Yes, it's not just about waving a wand and saying silly words. There's a lot more to it." Harry explained patiently. Daniel stared at him and asked, "Am I going next year to this school?"

"Yes. The name is Hogwarts. No, I'm not joking." Harry added at the end when blue eyes widened at the name.

"That's…cool!"

"Not the response I was expecting…" Harry muttered. He looked at Daniel who seemed to be shining with happiness.

"Tell me more!"

"Hogwarts is a centuries old castle. The amount of magic is astounding. There are large grounds around along with a forest. We have a Quidditch pitch, which is our game (Harry added on the look of confusion) played on broomsticks –"

"You mean we have to fly on broom sticks? Is that how you got here?"

"Yes. But, no. We came by a port-key. It's enchanted to transport people from one place to another. I don't know the entire mechanics of it, though."

Daniel opened his mouth and shut it, thinking hard.

Just then, Bolt's voice came into Harry's mind unexpectedly. 'I'm saying 'Hi'.'

'No you don't!' Harry thought furiously but Daniel yelped when a small Spaniel like dog jumped out of Harry's chest and landed in between the two boys.

"What the –"

"Bolt!" Harry groaned.

"A dog…you…how…but…uh…" Daniel stammered and Harry immediately said, "This is my familiar, Bolt."

"Hi?" Daniel murmured and Bolt chuckled. She patted his arm with her paw and Daniel said, "It understood me?!"

Bolt barked and Daniel jumped. "She. Bolt's a she. She'd very sensitive to relations like that."

'Sensitive? Who are you calling sensitive, Mr. Feelings of a Statue?' Bolt thought and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Um…" Daniel said when he stared at Harry.

"We can communicate through thoughts. She's my 'Familiar' and this gives us a magic bond in the depths of our mind."

Daniel nodded and patted Bolt slowly on her head. She seemed to like it. Harry leaned against the log and looked at the slightly bright skies. They sat there for about twenty minutes occasionally talking about the Potters, Hogwarts, Magic and Quidditch when Daniel's jaw dropped as he stared ahead.

"Is it just me? Or has Santa Claus pulled down?!"

Harry looked to where Daniel was pointing and blinked. How in the world did Dumbledore resemble Santa Claus? Leaving out the silvery beard, that is.

The Headmaster smiled softly as the two boys got up, one contemplating something and the other, in slight shock.

"Hello Daniel." He said and the boy exclaimed, "Are you 555 years old?!"

Dumbledore chuckled, "No. Not even above 200."

"Wait a sec! You're our great great great great great– "

"Only three 'greats'." Harry whispered quickly.

"…yeah. You're related to us!" Daniel finished not looking the least bit disappointed. Dumbledore smiled and said, "Albus Dumbledore. Actually my complete name is rather long and I feel it would overwhelm you – oomph!"

Daniel leapt forward and gave Dumbledore a hug. The old man looked down at him completely bemused and Harry's jaw went a little slack. Daniel grinned and looked up, his eyes large and very happy. Dumbledore sighed. He missed that look of adoration more than he had originally thought.

"So…do we get to call you 'Granpa'?"

The question took both Harry and Dumbledore off guard.

"I …well… it has been a long time since anyone has called me that." Dumbledore mumbled. Daniel's face fell and he immediately reiterated his sentence, "I wouldn't mind, Daniel. Unless, we're not during professional circumstances, of course."

"Wouldn't it be highly unorthodox to refer to you like that?" Harry argued. He wasn't sure whether he wanted Daniel to be so close to the Headmaster. It might not be good for either party.

"Whatever that meant (Daniel said, rolling his eyes), you don't have to call him that. But it'd be awesome to have a Granpa!"

"I see no infringement, here." Dumbledore said kindly.

"Yes! Wait! What does that mean?"

The former chortled again. Harry looked resigned, "He means that you can call him that."

"I have talked to your superiors, Daniel. During the months of either June, July or August, you will go to Diagon Alley to buy all the necessary equipment for your school year."

"I'm going alone?"

"I'll take him, sir." Harry said suddenly. Dumbledore gauged him for a second and nodded, "Of course, but I think, it would be best to go in August, preferably evening, when the crowd will be less during the streets."

"So, you're leaving now?" Daniel asked clearly disappointed. Harry turned to look at Dumbledore who looked rather reconciled, "I am not a man with much time on my hands. I have yet to receive a package due for two months. I will have to register a polite and firm complaint. Those are rather hard for me. But you keep in touch with Harry, don't you? Look for my owl at times."

"Yes, Granpa." Daniel mumbled and Dumbledore looked a bit out of it before saying, "The both of you act more like your uncles, if you realize."

Harry and Daniel looked up in surprise but by seeing his face clearly stuck in the past, they took his word for it.

"Good bye, Daniel. I will be sending over a Licorice Wand soon." He patted him on the shoulder, threw a meaningful look at Harry and walked towards the gate.

"A what?" Daniel asked confused.

"It's a sweet. Personally I'd prefer the Sugarless Vipers, but that's just me." Harry said.

"Wait!" Daniel suddenly exclaimed and pulled down the taller boy by the shoulder to whisper into his ear, "Write to me soon!"

"Of course." Harry said and stood up but Daniel pulled him down again.

"And tell Granpa I like Chocolate with caramel in it!"

"Okay." Harry straightened himself only to be pulled down again.

"And call me DJ!"

"What?" Harry went straight up but he pulled him down once more.

"For my initials! Daniel Jacob! It's cool!"

"Well…"

"Please!"

"Fine."

"And buy me a broomstick!"

"After your first year."

"Why not?"

"Because, according to 'Quidditch through the Ages', a new model in SliverStar is coming up with more safety regulation features than another company."

"You'll get me one?!"

"If you're good at flying."

"I will be!" Daniel gave Harry a hug too and the older boy stood there a little awkwardly until a bell rang from inside the building. Bolt immediately jumped back into Harry.

"Yikes! Bye, Harry!"

"Wait!" Harry said and shrugged out of his jacket. "That's for you."

"Seriously?" Daniel asked awed. Harry nodded and on a whim, ruffled his hair. The younger boy didn't seem to mind as he stared at the black jacket as though it was worth a lot.

"Thanks! I need to go, though."

"Bye…DJ." Harry conceded.

The look on the younger boy's face made him remember Percy rather painfully.

* * *

"So? How was he?" Ron asked, his mouth full of black current ice cream.

"Quite…hyper." Harry said with an unsure shrug. Ron nodded thoughtfully and suggested, "Still, it's good that he was showing magic abilities already. Easier for him to understand. I think DJ would really fit in here."

Harry gave Ron a significant look.

"What? The name's catchy." Ron said in defense and finished his ice cream.

"He seemed to believe me rather easily."

Ron rolled his eyes, "I know you two look like each other, okay. It's obvious he's glad to have someone out there."

"How do you know that he looks like me?" Harry asked frowning.

"Bill told me that when you two were older you'd be like your dads."

"Oh."

Harry looked around at the decorations of the Great Hall. He could almost picture it. Next year, this time, Daniel would be sitting by him or next to his own friends excitedly talking about Christmas celebrations.

He might even ask his friends to call him DJ. By Percy's definition of cool, Daniel's new name filled the top spot.

'The kid's alright.' Bolt said as the first year boys finally got into bed. Harry agreed with her. He had acted like Percy but at the same time, there was something else there. For example, his Core seemed very powerful. If he could already reach it now, Harry was sure that it would be a matter of time before it got out of hand. He had to write to him about concentrating through his hand.

Harry turned and saw something sticking from under the curtains. Its grey shine stood out from the red darkness and Harry slowly got up and pulled out the Invisibility Cloak. Hadn't he shut it in the trunk?

Harry ran his hands though the cloak which felt as though it was woven out of water.

Suddenly, his tiredness disappeared completely.

'Oh no. No you don't! Get right back to bed, Mister!' Bolt said angrily but Harry ignored her and put on his sneakers.

Checking to see whether the others were already asleep, he could hear their snores quiet easily. He looked at Ron's bed for a moment and slipped out of the Dorm.

He put on his cloak and put up the hood. This was actually wonderful. He could feel the small hairs on his hand and the back of his neck stand up because of the magic flowing in the cloak.

Rubbing his forehead, harry climbed out of the Portrait Hole.

"Who's there?" Deborah called with obvious fear. Harry didn't say anything as he carefully closed the portrait.

"Harry?" She called in a softer voice. Harry looked at her for a second longer before walking away.

'And where are you going to go?' Bolt asked and he could hear the irritation in her voice.

'Let's check if Fluffy's still there, huh?'

'I got a better idea! Why don't we go to Snape's quarters and wake him up by singing, 'God rest ye Merry Hippogriffs'! It's much less dangerous.' Bolt said enthusiastically and Harry frowned.

'I don't think he'd appreciate that.'

'That was sarcasm.'

'Oh.'

Harry went down the next flight of stairs before stopping. He looked down and counted.

'We're in the second floor.'

'I thought you wanted to go check on Fluffy?'

'Yes, but…'

Harry looked up and stared determinedly at the door which specifically led to the Third Floor Corridor.

He climbed up slowly and stopped at the level.

'I think there's a Notice-Me-Not charm, here.'

'May be Dumbledore must have put it there.'

'It wasn't there when we went the first time.' Harry argued and walked towards the door. He pressed his ear against it and could hear the rumbling snore of the three heads.

'He must've put it afterwards.'

Harry shook his head and continued downwards, 'Dumbledore wouldn't put a soft spell like that with much force.'

'What?' Bolt asked and sniffed around as though trying to smell a magic spell.

'Notice-Me-Not charms are supposed to be delicate. People should just pass by the charm and have no thought of it. But whoever put it here unbalanced the spell. He put it rather strongly and also, only around the door. The moment I passed it I remembered it again.'

'I'm not going to correct your use of the male form here, because it is a male, right?'

'Something's really wrong with Quirrell.' Harry agreed and they walked about the ground floor.

'I think he's a spy.' Bolt said.

'Gee, why didn't I think of that?' Harry asked and Bolt growled.

'You can't understand it when others use sarcasm but you have loads of it. You are one weird boy, Harry.'

Harry shrugged and stopped walking.

'Where are we?' He asked Bolt. She leapt out and landed on her feet. Smelling around, she said, 'First floor. I can get a definite hint of some food from below us.'

Harry looked around. Why had he walked straight around the first floor instead of going to the ground floor?

'Now that (Harry said with more conviction) is Dumbledore's style. I didn't even realize it.'

'A Leading Spell?'

'Maybe. But whatever it was, it's good. It's stronger over there.'

Harry turned towards the end of the current corridor and ran towards it. The wall looked nothing extraordinary. Bolt tilted her head and said, 'Okay, there's something in there.;

'What?'

'If I knew, would I have said 'something'?'

Harry frowned and touched the wall which turned wooden. A handle grew in the side and he saw a large door which had just formed itself out of the wall.

'See?' Bolt said in a smug voice.

Harry opened the door tentatively.

It looked like an unused classroom. Benches and desks were pushed against the corner and dust covered a part of the room. Harry peered in further to see something quite out of the ordinary.

'How old do you think that is?' Bolt asked in awe as she bounded down a few steps towards a large framed mirror as high as the ceiling.

'Centuries. Or may a few days if it was made to look old.' Harry suggested and walked towards to get a closer look at the frame. The metal was cold. It must have been unpolished bronze.

Harry was sure that he wouldn't see his reflection since he wore the cloak. He paid no attention to the mirror and instead tried to understand the carvings above the mirror which seemed to be in some lost language.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi.

'oyt' was repeated twice. It may have been an ariticle.

'I think we should leave, Harry.' Bolt said suddenly, staring wide-eyed at the mirror's surface.

Harry looked down to see her run behind his legs as though something had spooked her.

He looked front and did a double take. He could see his reflection!

He took a few steps forward and wanted to jump back when people started materializing by his side. His feet were frozen to the ground. There was no one behind him. And yet, there were so many…

Percy. Percy was next to his reflection. Shoulder to shoulder. Percy grinned and slung his arm casually over Harry's shoulder…or Harry's reflection's shoulder.

He was just as tall as Harry. His hair a bit more neater, though. Still wind blown. He had a wide smile, showing off his teeth. As Harry looked at the bright sea-blue eyes, Percy winked.

Harry looked at the woman standing behind Percy. She looked young and fresh. Her black hair was neatly tucked behind a hair band though a few strands fell over her face. She smiled at him with her pale blue eyes which looked beautiful and deep.

Sally looked like she was twenty. She didn't have any worry in her expression and it made her an angel.

Her right arm was over a shoulder of a slightly shorter girl with blonde hair and happy black irises as if she was very pleased to be introduced to her sister's second son. Kimberly's resemblance to her sister was quite startling. They had the same ears, lips and smile.

On Sally's left arm was looped along with another beautiful woman who looked just about twenty too. She had long dark red hair and a thin oval face. Her almond shaped eyes had bright emerald green eyes which shone with tears. Her face was stretched with a smile and her two dimples were rather distracting. Harry stared at her for two full minutes before looking right to find a person just as absorbing as Lily.

James looked proud. It made Harry irritated. Why did he look proud? What was he proud of? Who was he proud of? Couldn't he open his mouth and say something before Harry just died there?

James looked exactly like the man standing to his other side. Same messy hair which stuck up cruelly in all directions, same hazel eyes, same grins, same postures…

Jacob looked proud too. He had held hands with a pretty woman who looked much too young be dead. Melody smiled sadly as if she knew what he was thinking.

Harry looked down to see Daniel…or rather DJ grinning at him. DJ was in front of Harry's reflection and…

… and Rose.

Harry looked at her. She was shorter than him. She was Lily Potter Version 2.0

Her eyes were her father's and she was crying. And smiling. She clenched Harry's arm tightly as if saying that she wouldn't leave this time.

There were others too. An older couple stood behind Sally and they grinned when he looked at them. There were many little girls and boys who kept peeking from between the adults, laughing and running away. As Harry looked at every inch of the mirror surface, he could see someone smiling down at him.

They were happy. They were looking at him happily. They liked him. It looked as though they actually loved him. It seemed too…

Harry couldn't exactly wrap his mind around it.

He raised his arm to hold someone. Maybe he could touch Rose –

His fingers reached the cold mirror's surface and it was like an electric shock all through his body.

Harry's chest was heavy as he dropped his hand. As though every breath to take was hard and painful.

They saw him frowning. He didn't look sad. He looked completely lost. And that was even worse. Lily rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it slightly.

Harry unconsciously tried to touch her palm. Not feeling any human hand on his own shoulder, he looked back at her, asking silently.

She smiled.

His chest suddenly didn't feel so heavy anymore.

Harry wasn't sure how long he stood motionless staring at each one of the reflections in the mirror over and over again.

Then, he looked at his own reflection. The expression…it threw him off.

Harry broke away from the trance and clutched his head as though in pain. He started breathing hard and looked at Bolt who was staring at the mirror her eyes very wide.

He swooped her up and turned around to leave when someone said, "Good."

Harry stopped at stared at the Headmaster sitting on one of the old benches.

"What's good?" Harry asked after a moment's silence.

"You were able to look away much earlier than I had believed." Dumbledore said simply. Harry frowned.

"What was your expectation?"

"Four days. I will try to not underestimate you from now, Harry. And even if I do, you may blame my age."

Harry held back a sigh, "I was here for a long time, wasn't I?"

"Only three and a half hours."

"But…"

"Time flies when you are…happy."

"That thing is nothing happy!" Harry said angrily and dropped Bolt who yelped. She gave him a short bark and jumped into him.

"Hmm." Dumbledore said thoughtfully, looking out the window into the snowy scene of the grounds.

"It's cursed!" Harry said.

"It's powerfully charmed." Dumbledore hummed.

"There's nothing charming about it. That mirror should be destroyed if it shows things like that! Is that what it does? Shows something just beyond our reach?!"

"Sometimes. But its duty is to show you what makes you unconditionally and purely satisfied."

"It's evil." Harry said trying not to glare at the mirror. He didn't even want to look at it.

"It shows you your heart's deepest desire, Harry. Naturally, it would be poison to many human souls." Dumbledore said, his voice sounding sad.

"Do you know what it shows me?! Sir?" Harry asked stalking a few steps towards the Headmaster.

"I think I can take a guess."

Harry clenched his jaw. Then it struck him.

"Erised. The mirror actually gave a warning." He murmured scratching at his forehead.

"Madam Pomfrey will provide you a Sleeping Draught, Harry, for the next few nights. By, then you will need to be ready. You will not search for it. And if you do run across the mirror again, you will not be deterred. Do you hear me, Harry?" Dumbledore said a little sternly.

Harry nodded looking down.

"May I ask you something, sir?" Harry said slowly.

"Yes, of course."

"How can you see me?"

"Your hood is down." Dumbledore said and Harry's eyes widened. Dumbledore had gone through the entire conversation with only Harry's head.

"I have witnessed stranger occurrences. Now, I think it is best that you go back to bed."

* * *

**There! I hope the chapter was good. I liked it. And for those of you who had expected something different, it will crop up in Harry's thoughts, so stay tuned for next time!**

**Cabba.**


	20. Cursed Conversations

**I was hoping for a few more reviews, but the six I read really made my day! Thank you so much!**

**All your questions will be answered soon. Patience is a virtue! Well…I think.**

**TroyWeb – Welcome to my story. Glad you love it. Yeah, I want a closer Ron/Hermione relationship. So less fighting, even if I enjoyed JKR's work. Your words really made me eel better about my work. Thank you so much!**

**For all those who wished, Merry Christmas to you too!**

**For everyone – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! ****Feliz Navidad.****Prospero Año y Felicidad!**

**Disclaimer: Did you know that I do not own Harry Potter?! I'm brunette. I'm a teen. I don't think Rowling's a brunette or a teen…**

**Words – 2766**

* * *

"The Cursed…?" Hermione asked, looking up from her Potion's essay and staring inquisitively at Harry.

" 'Anecdotes of the Cursed'." Harry said, rolling up his essay but then handing it to Ron who unrolled it to read. He leaned back on his library chair and looked out of the window as Hermione pondered the answer.

"I haven't heard of a book like that." She said. Ron let out a dramatic gasp and Hermione glared at him.

"Madam Pomfrey just mentioned it that the author used to have fits of hallucinations and needed a vial of Sleeping Draught once every fortnight with four drops of honey. I'm not exactly sure what good honey did…"

Ron gave another gasp at that. Harry shot him a look before snatching back his essay. Ron almost leapt to get it back and Harry pushed him off. Ron caught the end of Harry's robes and both boys fell to the ground.

"If you've finished fooling around…" Hermione said standing up with her hands on her hips and the McGonagall look on her face.

"Yeah, Harry. Stop fooling around." Ron said and Harry pulled him up, rolling his eyes. Hermione let out a sigh and packed her bag.

"Why are you suddenly so interested in cursed objects?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked at her for a second, deliberating whether or not to tell them. He sighed.

"Well, I think everyone knows that my scar is cursed." Harry said in such a low voice the other two nearly didn't catch it.

"Is there something wrong with it?!" Hermione asked staring at his forehead. Not that she could see it. The scar was being protected by an army of hair strands and a black cap.

"Wrong with it…" Harry mumbled. Ron had an odd look of concern as he said, "Does it hurt?"

"At times."

Hermione's eyes widened and she whispered, "How could it hurt just like that? Is there something affecting it? Or is the skin paining? Is there a headache?"

"It's like a burning migraine. Just concentrated on the right front side of my head. I feel like itching it…"

"You shouldn't!"

"I don't!" Harry hissed and frowned as he pressed the base of his palm to his scar.

"You should go to Madam Pomfrey." Hermione said immediately.

"Will she know about cursed wounds?" Harry asked. Hermione looked even more worried at that.

"She could numb the pain. There's at least that, right?" Ron said hopefully. Harry gave a half shrug and said, "Okay, lets….Hagrid?"

Harry stared at the towering silhouette of the Keeper of Keys shuffling around the shelves.

"What are you doing in the library?" Ron asked turning around. Hermione frowned at Hagrid's fidgeting movements.

"Jus' lookin' around. I'm allowed here, aren' I?" Hagrid grumbled. He walked over to them and suddenly looked suspicious, "Yeh're not thinkin' about anythin' yeh shouldn't, right?"

"We found out about Flamel ages ago." Ron said waving his hand about carelessly. "We know that – "

"Don't yeh dare go on about it!" Hagrid said a little fiercely. Ron sighed.

"What are you hiding?" Harry asked staring at the large jacket rolled up in Hagrid's hand. Hermione gasped.

"You aren't trying to sneak out a book, are you?!"

"No!" I'm just gonna borrow something from the library –"

"Borrow as in…" Ron said raising his eyebrows. Hagrid groaned.

"Look. It's none of yer business in sticking yer noses in my stuff. Drop it!"

He went away and Hermione sat back. "You think it has something to do with the stone?"

"Maybe." Harry muttered.

* * *

"It's an…a…Harry…how… but it's rare…it's your's…"

"I think we broke her head." Ron muttered to Harry as Hermione stammered over his Invisibility Cloak. She touched it slowly and shivered at the feeling of the strange cloak.

"How?"

"It was my Dad's." Harry said unfolding it. The three of them were alone in the boys' dorms and Ron was highly enjoying Hermione's expression.

"Do you know –?"

"That it's incredibly rare? That it's invaluable? That it's –"

"I get it!" Hermione said hastily not wanting Harry to launch into another debatable speech.

"I think it's big enough for the three of us." Ron said holding it up.

"Let's see." Harry said and threw it over them. Hermione looked around to see the cloak become more see-through so that they could watch their surroundings, but were invisible themselves.

"See?" Ron said.

"Pun intended?" Harry asked.

Hermione peeked into the mirror by the side and said, "This is amazing! We're actually invisible!"

"Do you know why?" Ron asked with a hint of teasing in his voice. "It's because it's an Invisibility Cloak!"

Harry sighed. This was taking a long time.

* * *

When the three finally went back to the castle after one and three fourth hours of trying to convince Hagrid to let go of the DRAGON EGG he had acquired, they were cold and hungry.

"Why do you think is Hagrid's unruly obsession of life-threatening creatures so high?" Hermione asked downing her water in one go. Harry shrugged.

"I still don't understand who'd go around with dragon eggs in their pockets?" Ron muttered stabbing at his dinner as though it had offended him. Harry looked up at him and frowned.

"No one would, unless they're absolutely sure that they can deal with it properly." Harry said thinking fast. There was something missing here.

"Wouldn't surprise me if that nutter was searching for Hagrid." Ron muttered.

Harry's head snapped up to Ron's comment so fast, the wind whistled. Hermione and Ron stared.

"What did you say?" Harry whispered looking as though his nightmare was in front of him.

* * *

"Slow down!" Hermione cried. She had no idea how fast Harry could run. One moment he was sitting in a frozen position, the next he had sprung up and nearly flew out the Great Hall at speeds that would make a vampire jealous.

Speaking of which…

"Are you part vampire?" She asked him. Ron gave her a dumbfounded look while Harry suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned around just in time for Ron and Hermione to crash into him.

It hurt.

Harry was still standing.

That hurt too.

He helped them up and said, "Do you hear that?" He asked.

Hermione frowned. The three of them stayed still in the silent corridor and then heard the voice.

"I think it will be straight forward."

_Quirrell!,_ Ron mouthed and Harry pulled them towards the wall as the three first-years snuck up to the Charms classroom which was supposedly empty.

"Do not underestimate him!" A high scratchy voice snarled back and Hermione covered her mouth with her palm. It sounded so strange and frightening.

"The beast is the easiest. Then that dratted plant. Next is the keys. Then the chess game. After that we have my part followed by Snape's conundrum and then Dumbledore's. Master, I think we'll have a problem with the last. But the others – "

"The teachers are not foolish! Snape knows something is out of place and so does Potter. Dumbledore has his eyes on you and you must be careful. If you cannot wield your magic properly, I shall find another!"

Ron stared at Harry in question but Harry shook his head. Who was the other man? Harry reached within his robes for the Invisibility cloak and shook it out as silently as he could. He threw it over them and after making sure that all three were evenly hidden, they inched towards the door.

Quirrell and the other person were still talking.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sneaked into the room and crouched behind the nearest desk to see Quirrell sitting on one of the desks further at the end. He was simply staring at his hands as he talked.

"Then we must hurry." Quirrell said fearfully.

The rasping voice answered back, "Yes! The sooner we get the stone, the better! We must leave! Dumbledore is very wary of us and he knows but is not sure. Fool he is to wait and watch, but all the better."

The voice seemed to be coming from Quirrell itself. It made no sense. How could he talk to himself as though he had two sets of minds at the same time?

"Now?" Quirrell asked, fear evident in his voice.

"Yes! There's only so much blood that can sustain me. The centaurs are as informed as the school. They will connect the deaths of the unicorns soon."

Hermione gasped.

Quirrell shot up and whipped out his wand to point at the empty doorway.

Harry bit the inside of his cheek and Ron firmly clenched his jaw. Hermione covered her mouth with both hands, all three of them very aware of their breathing. They remained absolutely still as Quirrell walked around the class searching for the eavesdroppers.

"But, there was a sound…" Quirrell mumbled. Not seeing anyone, he was about to relax his guard when the ghostly voice shouted, "They're here, fool!"

The door slammed shut by itself though the four beings in the room had nothing to do with it.

"I know…" The voice whispered and the sound went right through their ears.

"Reveal yourself. There is time." The voice hissed and Quirrell's eyes darted around to see any movement.

Harry shook his head minutely and the three of them made no other move from breathing.

There was silence for a few more seconds.

"Master?" Quirrell whispered.

In that moment, Harry understood.

* * *

"Another letter from Fudge?" Minerva asked looking at the thin white envelope with distaste. Albus chuckled. He leaned back against his chair and set down his fork.

"No. From someone more welcome." He murmured, opening the letter and reading it with content.

_To Granpa,_

_Your long name is long. It's like you. Not just yours, but actually you._

_The Licorice Wand was really tasty! The only thing lacking was chocolate which was there in the Chocolate Frogs which, by the way, are amazing! I packed in some Sherbet Lemons which I know you like. _

_Thanks for the Exploding Snap pack. I use it only when I'm alone. How many times does it reform? My eyebrows were nearly blown away yesterday, but it was still fun._

_Guess what? Harry gave me the Family Book. This huge book with everyone from our families. It's like a story. Of their lives. It's amazing! _

_I didn't know that Harry had a sister. He never talks about her. Do you think he remembers her? Should I talk about Rose?_

_This has been the best Christmas in my entire life. Thank you!_

_Can't wait for the next letter. Whenever you're free, Granpa. And keep an eye on Harry. I'm getting a strange feeling. Weird, but it's still there._

_Happy Early New Year!_

_DJ._

Albus smiled involuntarily at the letter. It was like when a younger James had written to him about being accepted into Hogwarts. The boy had been over the moon about it.

_Albus!, _a voice shrieked into his head. He almost jumped but then realized that it was Fawkes.

_What is it?_

_It's Bolt. Harry and his friends are in trouble._

Albus immediately got up, stiffly. With a nod to Severus and Minerva, he gave Flitwick some specific instructions before leaving the Hall through the door behind the Staff table.

"What is it?" Minerva asked observing Albus's serious expression.

"Harry's familiar somehow contacted Fawkes to tell me that Harry and his friends, Mr. Weasely and Ms. Granger, are in a tight spot."

Severus scowled, "Why does _that_ require us?"

Albus tried not to sigh, "It involves Quirrell."

That silenced the Potions Master as the three of them hurried to the Charms corridor.

Before they could reach the classroom, the entire section of the Charms Room exploded.

A wandless shield saved Minerva from a stray desk which bounced back from them as it flew.

"Merlin!" She gasped and whipped out her wand to point at the rubble along with her colleagues.

A small figure stumbled out of the chaos, coughing. She looked up and saw them.

"Professor! Harry and Ron are still inside! So is Quirrell!"

Albus nodded and gestured her to stay away as he barged into the room, his shield still invisible and strong.

A red haired boy was trying to shake awake his best friend who looked completely unconscious on the ground and next to them, there was a pile of black and purple robes with a violet turban unraveled. The debris around them was dangerously balanced over some of the desks.

"Professor! I dunno what happened! It was too much for him. Quirrell just died! Then he tried to kill us!" Ron said half gasping and coughing as tried to breathe deeply.

Once they had gotten the three children to the Hospital Wing, Albus understood the story.

The three children were hidden under Harry's Invisibility Cloak when Quirrell had tried a Revealing charm around the locked room. The power was unstable and his wand had flown out and struck his own face with some yellow light. The turban, which was already loose, had fallen off completely and, apparently, there was a face behind Quirrell's bald head.

Red eyes, pasty skin, slits for nostrils. Albus knew only one…creature with that resemblance.

Voldemort himself had tried to offer the three children riches and power. It had been a confusing and frightening moment as Hermione had described.

"_Gold beyond your wildest dreams, Ronald Weasely." Voldemort rasped staring intently at Ron whose jaw was slack and eyes were wide._

"_You're mad. You're really mad." Ron croaked._

"_Fools! You can be the most powerful sorcerers the world has ever seen! I can teach you so much! Everything you have ever wanted put at your feet! Magic is limitless! Hogwarts does not teach you even half of it! Let me introduce you to the World!"_

_Hermione grabbed Harry's and Ron's hands. She felt tears gathering in her eyes. He was mad. The answer they were about to give was obviously 'No', and she knew, from the stories she'd read, that they were seconds away from death._

_She wanted to run away and hide but there was no way out. She didn't want to look at the cruel red irises but they held her gaze as if they were captivating. _

_She was about to die. So she did the natural thing. She squeezed the hands she held. They had been her longest friends in her short life. If they were going together, then dying may not have been so bad._

"_What's the catch?" Harry asked unexpectedly. He seemed interested by Voldemort's words and that shocked Hermione._

_Voldemort looked thrown off before he said, "Dedication."_

_Harry looked as though he was contemplating something before answering, "No thanks. No one in their right minds or even partially twisted minds would willingly give any dedication to you. I wouldn't want my friends and myself to be in the service of a psychopath. I have read some books on the workings of the mind and I can easily see that something is terribly wrong with yours." _

_Quirrell's body shook with rage as it blindly flung itself on to the closest person. Harry dodged back just in time and gave one swift punch to the face. Quirrell or maybe Voldemort screamed the moment their skin touched and Hermione watched in horror as it blistered and melted._

_Ron pulled her back as Harry leapt forward, deaf to their screams. He grabbed Quirrell's face and pushed him backwards on to the debris._

_Harry fell to his knees as though the move had been draining._

"_Harry?!" Hermione shrieked as she and Ron hauled him to his feet. Harry was about to answer them, hopefully give a positive answer, but froze as he stared at Quirrell. The man's body had crumbled into ash and black mist was floating out of him. _

_The trio were motionless as they watch the breeze take shape of the face that had been talking to them, minutes before. It gave one sadistic grin and shouted something. Quirrell's wand, which had been lying next to his robes, exploded.  
_

Albus grimaced at Hermione's recollection and sighed.

"A full night's sleep, Ms. Granger. I have to say, your former actions were rather …reckless. But your decision to stand by your friends was…brave. A Gryffindor through and through."

Hermione blushed at that and Ron smirked.

"Yours too, Mr. Weasely." Albus said and Ron's ears went red.

It was about ten in the night when Albus had finished sending the required letters he had planned to.

Of course, the next day, Nicolas had sent back a quick and surprising reply.

* * *

**Didn't expect that did you?**

**Stay tuned, we're near the end!**

**Cabba.**


	21. Cursed Mark

**Hi! I think I had hit a writer's block. It was so hard to write this chapter!**

**Thank you so much for your patience!**

**RedRangerBelt – You ask all the right questions, you know that? They will be answered within this story, so do not fret!**

**Rinnesuke – Yes, it was italicized on purpose.**

**Bannanibo – Oh yeah! I already have the plot in mind!**

**NoTagBacks – Thanks for that. Ron actually gasps because Harry said that he didn't know how honey would help. It was a sarcastic dramatic gasp and Harry and Ron fight almost childishly for Harry's essay (Ron wanted to copy it.)**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx – No probs. At least, I know that you're reading the story. Yeah, we are close to the end. **

** – Hey, thank you for your direct bluntness. It kind of jolted me out of my block and I just finished this chapter now. You really have patience!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the HP series. JKR does.**

**Words – 2134**

* * *

It was dark and cold. Well, he was always cold, so that didn't matter much, but Harry felt irritated when he couldn't open his eyes. It had taken him some time to feel his immobile fingers and toes. After some time he realized that he was in the Hospital Wing. The blanket over him was much thicker than the one on his bed. The bed was much softer. He didn't like it.

There wasn't any distinctive smell of medicines like there would have been in a muggle hospital ward, but Harry could get the scent of root of aconite. It was used in some mild healing potions.

After some time, he could hear too. Familiar voices.

"He never told us." A whisper from Hermione. Harry tried to move his hands but couldn't.

"It looks horrible. What do you think _that_ is?" Ron's voice came from the other side.

"I have no idea. It must be something special. Harry isn't one to wear jewelry." Seamus snorted.

The voices drowned out. After sometime, he felt a bit more conscious. He tried to keep his breathing normal. Listening around, he heard the footsteps of 'Poppy' the matron. She seemed to leading another set of footsteps closer to Harry. He took a slow breath and decided, by the subtle swish of robes across the ground, that it was Dumbledore.

There was a gentle breeze which sent his skin tingling. Harry heard the matron leave and then silence.

He wasn't sure if the Headmaster planned to sit there until Harry 'woke up', so to know what the older man had to say, Harry asked in a low voice, "Is Bolt okay?"

He opened his eyes and turned his head towards Dumbledore, who looked back at him, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Well, good evening, Harry." He said, quite amused.

"Evening?" Harry pushed himself up and stopped at the soreness of his chest.

"Please lie down, Harry. Or Poppy will have me chased from the Hospital Wing." Dumbledore said patting Harry's shoulder. The latter sighed and laid back.

"Your encounter, yesterday, with Quirrell had been rather draining. But if you do take the Calming Draught before late evening, you won't miss supper."

Harry nodded and sighed.

"Your familiar is currently resting. As should you, by the way. She had been taxed when she tried to shield you from the blast."

Harry frowned and removed the sheets. He saw Bolt curled up by the side of his chest, her size almost as small as when he had first seen her at the Emporium. She twitched a little and leaned closer to him, unconsciously.

It was then Harry realized that he was wearing a loose white shirt and pale pajama pants. The sleeves where short and showed every inch of skin on his lower arm. He tried to swallow his horror when he saw his _damned_ bracelet glint in the light.

"Poppy had nearly gone into a coronary when she had undressed you." Dumbledore muttered looking at the white scars on his white arms. It made the shirt and sheets look dull. Harry slunk back onto the bed, pulling the sheets till his neck. He had never worn light coloured clothes for years.

He didn't want to see him, but Harry braced himself for the onslaught of questions as he looked up at the Headmaster. Dumbledore merely stared at him waiting for Harry to start. The silence was rather brittle.

"Physically, you should feel better in about an hour." He said and Harry nodded.

Dumbledore waited. He didn't want Harry to keep secrets from him, but knew that the boy was entitled to have them. Something had gone wrong. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Harry frowned to himself. He had expected Dumbledore to be slightly overbearing. Pressuring him into talking. Although, the quiet told Harry that it was his decision.

_But it will come out somehow; best to divulge it yourself. _

The Sorting Hat's words swirled around and Harry felt his head ache. He grimaced exactly when Madam Pomfrey came into view and she glared at the Headmaster.

"Now, Professor! I told you not to talk too –"

"No, Poppy. I was thinking something else." Harry said quickly, tapping the side of his lower lip softly with the little finger on his right hand. It was a small habit he picked up from Percy.

It worked. The faux innocent look of the child displaced the matron. She shot a calculating look at the Headmaster before bustling away.

Dumbledore hummed and smiled at Harry. Harry lowered his hand back under the sheet.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?"

"On the grounds, I believe. It is a bright day. You missed the match this morning." Dumbledore said lightly and Harry's eyes widened.

"Match?"

"The Quidditch match, of course."

Harry was about to panic before he remembered that the match was between Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

"Who won?"

"Ravenclaw. Filius has been rather smug about it in the Staff Room. You should have seen the joust between him and Minerva. It was a thankful deviation from Minerva's and Severus' verbal wars."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at the memory. Harry wasn't sure how to respond to that so he changed the topic.

"And Quirrell?"

Dumbledore gave a sigh. "I think you know what happened there."

Harry thought back. He and Quirrell were too close to the wand. Voldemort was a black mist hovering over them. Too much noise and screaming.

"He…he's dead?" Harry asked a bit numbly. Dumbledore looked at the stand next to him and said, "Yes. He couldn't withstand the explosion."

Harry shut his eyes tightly before opening them again. He blinked once and then reached for his glasses from his nightstand.

He wasn't sure why he didn't remember them immediately but that flew out of the window when he saw the stand beside his bed, overflowing with packages of sweets and chocolates.

"Uh…"

"Tokens from your well wishers. Everyone has been worried for you." Dumbledore said lightly highly enjoying Harry's expression.

Harry picked the nearest pack which turned out to be blood pops. It seemed like some sick joke.

"Voldemort!" Harry said suddenly.

"He's gone, Harry."

"But…he was there! All these months! If he could get into the castle through someone else –"

"Exactly. There are other ways through which he could have come, but he chose Quirrell who had unfortunately wandered into his presence about a year ago. He must have sensed that Quirrell was weak-minded and had successfully controlled him using his fear." Dumbledore said somberly.

"He came because you had hidden the stone, right? Because of the Philosopher's Stone." Harry said and Dumbledore looked proud.

"Yes. He did. I suppose it was also so that he could see you with his own eyes rather than hear warped rumours."

Harry's heart sank, "He must have observed me all the time. Was that why my scar was hurting?"

Dumbledore frowned, "P…possibly. Was your scar hurting all the time?"

"No. Only in the mornings and afternoons. Sometimes during the nights too." Harry thought.

"Some days, I just get used to it." He said shrugging.

"Any particular pattern?"

"Usually on the days when Quirrell gets irritated with me. He sets of when I do anything he considers out of line."

Dumbledore gave a half smile at that.

"Voldemort was rather good at evaluating people. But he must have had no choice when Quirrell came across him. Of course that was just temporary. His real objective was the stone which he was, thankfully, unsuccessful. Now that these events have been released into the world, Nicolas has decided to destroy the stone. He has been one of my oldest companion. I will miss Perenelle."

"He decided to die?"

"Nicolas and Perenelle have been rather tired. They feel that it is time to turn in. They seemed calm with the decision. I have said my goodbyes, of course."

Harry went quiet. The couple was actually ready to die. After five to six centuries of living and seeing the world change, it seemed unrealistic to end abruptly. Or maybe it wasn't too sudden for them.

"Is this because they see it in threat from Voldemort?"

"That among other things. They have lived through the war and so completely understand the danger. The moment Nicolas realized what the transpired event meant, he and his wife had discussed at length and came to the current conclusion."

Harry nodded. Dumbledore smiled, "You are much older than your peers Harry. I suppose you have figured out every aspect. Your cursed scar, your connection to Voldemort –"

"What?!"

"It's quite safe to say that your scar connects you to Voldemort." He told Harry.

Harry stared. "Safe to say…?"

"There had to be a reason to why Quirrell's body was completely ashes." Dumbledore said pointedly. Harry's eyes widened. He remembered that. He remembered feeling blistering pain as he pushed Quirrell away. He couldn't forget Quirrell's skin melting and falling right before his eyes.

"That was very powerful magic. The fact that you can wield it and Voldemort cannot, makes everything quite different. Yes, he would never realize the power. He had obviously underestimated you. Quirrell, sharing his soul with someone like the Dark Lord of course, wouldn't be able to touch you."

Dumbledore nodded to himself and Harry swallowed. What kind of power was that? He hadn't a clue.

"Your mother had given you that magic. It's quite visible on you; especially the fact that even though Voldemort did try to kill you, the curse rebounded back. What was left of him fled the night leaving you alive and safe."

Harry stared. He felt it a bit harder to breathe.

"Of course there is some power within you. Something so strong to banish darkness for years. Power like that will always leave a mark." Dumbledore sighed and Harry immediately touched his scar.

"No. Nothing visible. It lives in your very skin."

Harry frowned, "What is it?"

Dumbledore smiled, "Love, Harry. Love."

He looked outside the window and hummed slightly. Harry sighed. He felt confused and….happy?

"It is a very bright day. I suggest you make a start on these sweets before Poppy condemns them. I will, of course, see you at dinner."

Harry sighed and nodded. He reached for the Sugarless Vipers and as Dumbledore got up to leave, Harry suddenly asked, "Headmaster? I want to ask you something."

"You have already done so, but I will however give you another chance."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Do you mind if I take a port-key to New York during the holidays? You can accompany me."

Dumbledore looked rather surprised, "And what exactly do you expect to find there?"

Harry shrugged.

The Headmaster looked rather resigned as he said, "I do not really have any aversion to a trip but you should know that the country is baffling to us. Not once in many centuries has a wizard or witch come from US."

"So?"

"There is no literal magic blood, there. Most avoid the entire continent with beliefs that there is nothing of consequence to us. So, I simply need a firm explanation as to why you have to travel to a land of no magic."

Harry said in exasperation, "Just because the entire place is filled with muggles, doesn't mean –"

"I agree." Dumbledore said. "It doesn't."

"Then why –"

"I am not letting you go there alone, Harry. Also, I cannot accompany you. Summer holidays are as relaxing for me as it is for you and your friends." He said this albeit sadly.

"Someone else can help me." Harry said quickly. But Dumbledore shook his head.

"The Ministry frowns upon travels to that continent in particular. They most certainly would not allow you, Harry."

"What about Hagrid?"

"Why do you want to go there in the first place?"

Harry slunk back into the bed and said, "I know someone there."

Dumbledore blinked and looked above his half-moon glasses. There was sore silence as the sharp gaze made Harry uncomfortable. The blue eyes were just like Daniel's.

Or DJ's.

"May be when you're older. I'm quite sure you'll find a way by yourself."

Harry's head snapped up at that. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Huh?"

"Oh, you are quite smart, Harry. You'll figure it out. Listen to you familiar."

Dumbledore got up and with a parting smile left the room. Harry frowned trying to make use of the information. Did he give Harry a clue? 'A way by yourself'

Something exclusively used by Harry. What could that be?

Bolt shivered slightly in her sleep and Harry picked her up and stroked her fur. She calmed down instantly. She always advised him. Her most used words were to always strengthen his Core.

The word clicked in his head. Nature! He was unique in that field! Would nature itself help him reach his family?

* * *

**Thank you guys for waiting so long. The last chapter will be coming up soon, hopefully. (Just joking!)**

**Stay tuned!**

**Cabba.**


	22. Blessed Past

**I was hoping for a few more reviews… No author would mind a few extra comments for their stories. But for those who are faithful, I love you guys!**

**xXTheDragonRiderXx – It would be nice to picture Harry as a second Merlin or Dumbledore, but to get there, he has to go through a lot of stuff! So let's see…**

**RedRangerBelt – Harry's reluctant to even think about his bracelet let alone talk about it. Wait for the next story, in any case. The bracelet is like a sheath for his dagger. Trust me when I say, the bracelet's much more dangerous than you think. Your other questions will be answered soon enough…**

**Weird'sMyName – Thanks for that. No, Harry's not a vampire. No, he doesn't really find anything amusing. His main secret will be revealed later…**

**NoTagBacks – We will see the answers and explanations to that in the coming chapters in the new story. Stay tuned! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the HP series and characters. All recognized scenes belong to JK Rowling.**

**Words – 3425**

* * *

With the tiny seed in his pocket, Harry screwed his ink bottle shut and folded his parchment.

"Here you go, girl." He said as he tied the letter to the twine around Hedwig's talons. She gave him a hoot before soaring off.

"I just love her." Hermione sighed, leaning back against the door. Ron let out a huff as he leapt out of Harry's bed and announced, "Now can we go for a snack?"

Harry rolled his eyes.

"You just ate an apple! Made by Harry!"

"Which was delicious, by the way."

"Thank you."

Harry packed in his belongings and walked out the dorm to his friends' surprise.

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked frowning. Harry turned around and looked out the window.

"I'm going to plant a seed, there. Side by Hagrid's pumpkin patch. The soil's rather good over there." He said, pointing towards the little stone hut."

"What?"

"A tiger lily. It was my Mum's favourite." Harry said, his voice lowering automatically.

Hermione nodded solemnly and Ron frowned. "How will it look like?"

"Sprout told me that the flower will be pink. My mother liked that variety. I'm sure it'll look good."

Ron had a serious look on his face as he said, "Of course it will! It's gonna grow next to giant pumpkins, right?"

Hermione couldn't help but let out a laugh at that.

By the time they crossed the long bridge and closed the distance towards Hagrid's home, there was a shout from the hut.

"What the…" Ron began but was cut off when the door slammed open and Hagrid came barreling out along with Fang. Bolt leapt out of Harry's chest and immediately went to console the larger howling canine.

"Hagrid?!" Hermione shrieked. Harry stared.

Hagrid's beard had sparks in it as if it had been on fire seconds ago.

There was some screeches coming from inside and some pots and pans where banged loudly.

"It's nothin'! It's nothin'. Norbert's just enjoyin' stretchin' his wings an' all. Nothin' ta worry about!"

"Norbert? What's that?" Ron asked. Fang let out a bark and looked as though it was glaring at Hagrid.

"My baby!" Hagrid said so proudly that the three first years stared at him for a couple of seconds as though someone had put a body binding curse on them.

"WHAT?!"

"Yeh saw 'im as an egg, right? That day? E's a Norwegian Ridgeback!"

Harry mentally face palmed. Of course! The dragon egg Hagrid had got that day. Everything had gone wrong since then…

"Hagrid! You live in a wooden house!" Hermione yelled.

"Actually, it's stone." Harry pointed out.

"It's wooden!"

"Stone. Look at the groove markings."

Hermione grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him to touch the outer wall. Harry felt the rough, not-so-cold surface of the wall like the bark of a tree.

"I think it's charmed. Why is it charmed? Never mind! Hagrid! You can't have a… a dragon in your house!" Hermione yelled again and Ron rubbed his ears. Harry examined the wall.

"E's not gonna stay here for long, Hermione. Dumbledore's plannin' ta shift 'im off ta Romania." Hagrid said looking rather down.

"Oh! Oh, Hagrid, I didn't know that…"

"Nah, it's okay. Yeh wanna meet 'im?" Hagrid's enthusiasm was like a small child's. It reminded Harry of when Percy would come running into the house announcing a new friend which turned out to be an animal in the Surrey Forest.

"Sure!" Ron said walking forwards towards the door. The moment his hand touched the handle, he yanked it away.

"OUCH! Hot! Hot!" He blew on his hand urgently and shook it hard.

Harry grabbed his hand and held it here for a few seconds. It was only times like these when Harry was appreciative of his cold skin. Ron sighed with relief said, "Thanks."

Hagrid tentatively pushed the door and ducked when a blast of fire roared through it. Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth.

"E's just playin'. Don' worry about it!" Hagrid called and Harry and Ron leaned over to see something that looked like a wet black umbrella with orange eyes, sharp fangs and inch long claws.

"We're not supposed to worry about that." Ron mumbled.

"Come on in!" Hagrid said, jubilant as ever. The three of them trudged in followed by two very reluctant dogs. Harry tried to ignore what Bolt was shouting at him. She bit into his jeans trying to drag him out.

"Bolt!" Harry groaned and plucked her off easily as if she didn't weigh anything. Which was rather curious seeing how she seemed to be half of Fang's size. She let out a yelp at that. Tucking her like a football, Harry stood behind Ron and looked over his shoulder to see the baby dragon.

It seemed even uglier with the close-up look.

"Isn't he precious?" Hagrid cooed and sat down to tickle the dragon beneath its jaw. It gave a hiccup at that action and sneezed out some spurts of flames causing the three youngsters to duck.

"When is he going to Romania, Hagrid?" harry asked uncertainly as he stood up.

"This evening. I wanted teh call yeh yes'erday, but Norbert wouldn' let me ou' the house. He's too attached."

Norbert turned to gauge Hagrid with its sharp eyes and let out a growl.

"Oh, bless him. Look, he knows his Mummy!" Hagrid said happily. Harry didn't dignify those words with his response. Ron and Hermione shared a look.

There was a polite knock on the door and Hagrid raised his voice to shout, "Come in!"

The door swung open to reveal Dumbledore.

"Oh, good evein', Professor! I was jus' about ta pack him!" Hagrid said and hauled up a large wooden crate onto the table. The dragon snapped its snout at it.

Dumbledore gave a smile. "Good evening, Hagrid. Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasely and Ms. Granger. Seems a bit heady to address large groups though it is necessary, don't you think?"

"Good evening, Headmaster." The three of them said in chorus before looking at each other in surprise. Dumbledore simply smiled before walking towards the pumpkin patch.

"Harry, would you pick him up?" Hagrid said as he lifted the heavy lid of the box. Harry stared at Hagrid and looked back at Norbert. The dragon looked up at him as if warning, 'Dare you to try...'

Harry squared his shoulders and dropped Bolt onto a nearby chair. She whined.

He picked up the dragon firmly, holding the wings stiffly against the body. The dragon shook itself hard and Harry gasped as he tightened his grip but trying to make it comforting at the same time. It wasn't working.

Hermione shrieked as Norbert lunged downwards, trying to slip out in vain. Harry blinked at the posterior section.

"That's good, Harry. In 'ere." Hagrid said after putting what looked like a small teddy bear inside the crate.

"Hagrid? I think it's a girl." Harry said sounding a bit uncomfortable.

The others stared at Harry.

"Huh?" Hagrid asked confused.

"Norbert's a girl." Harry said.

"Oh." Hagrid seemed to contemplate this. Hermione's cheeks went pink and Ron stared at the ceiling.

"Put Norberta in the crate, Harry."

Harry stared at him dumbfounded and would have continued staring if Norberta didn't give another violent fruitless effort to escape Harry's grip. He dumped the female dragon into the box and Hagrid shut it immediately. Scratching and ripping sounds were coming from the box.

Hagrid sighed and Harry turned away when tears started falling into Hagrid's beard.

"It's for the best, Hagrid." Dumbledore said kindly as they exited the hut. Hagrid locked his hut with a huge bunch of metal keys Harry had seen days before. A small silver and rusted key stood out from the bunch and caught Harry's attention for a significant second.

"Over there." Dumbledore said pointing towards a spot which was beside Hagrid's garden. Harry realized that Dumbledore was talking to _him. _

The Headmaster and The Keeper of Keys turned to walk towards the castle.

"Keeper of Keys, indeed." Harry said.

"What?" Ron asked puzzled.

"I'm just getting the feeling how much Dumbledore actually trusts Hagrid." Harry told them.

"A lot, clearly." Hermione muttered. She was, obviously, under the impression that to trust a man who loved dragons was the height of recklessness.

"Hagrid's the Keeper of the Keys." Harry said.

"So?"

"He had the key that would open the door to the next barrier. You know, Flitwick's level?"

"No way?" Ron exclaimed spinning around to see two silhouettes, one tall and thin, the other tall and huge.

"I suppose that was for back-up. That's probably why there was an extra shield around Hagrid's hut. It made the wood look like stone. By the way…"

Harry turned to look at Hermione, "How did you know it was stone?"

"It felt obvious to me." She said in surprise.

"Felt? It didn't look like stone, but it felt like it before you touched it?" Ron asked incredulously. Hermione shrugged and nodded playing with the sleeve of her shirt.

Harry said and then walked towards the spot where Dumbledore had pointed out for him. Kneeling down, he took Hagrid's spade and dug about a foot before firmly embedding the seed into the ground.

When he was finished, Hermione asked, "How long would it take to grow?"

"Few weeks. But my presence accelerates any and all plants if they allow me to influence them. Within a week, you will be able to see the plant."

Harry started humming and Ron rolled his eyes at that. They walked back to the castle, talking about the dragon and Hagrid's obsession with large animals, believing it to be a safer topic than anything else.

"Bet you anything that Hagrid's got some large dangerous creatures as pets in the forest." Ron said and Harry responded, "What makes you think I'd take that bet?"

"Right. Oh, great! Can we go to the Common Room before Malfoy sees us…"

Harry turned to see the Slytherin talking to Crabbe and Goyle at the end of their corridor. The three of them immediately turned around and started walking in the opposite direction.

"OI!"

"Damn." Ron swore in a low voice and Hermione glared at him.

"If you're worried about that big oaf's stupid dragon, you have a lot more issues than I had thought!" Malfoy shouted. Crabbe and Goyle started laughing.

"That's a very strange thing to tell, Malfoy. I'm going on a limb and saying that you had no other reason to taunt us." Harry called back.

Malfoy's sneer reduced and he walked towards the trio. "Maybe I'm being generous."

"And maybe, I'm a kneazle." Ron snorted.

"Go on." Harry told the blonde. Malfoy actually looked uncomfortable as he whispered, "I can't say much, but you better watch out. The trouble's just starting."

"Are you threatening us?" Ron asked stepping forward but Hermione pulled him back.

"When you say –" Harry began but Malfoy suddenly said, "Good luck with the upcoming match, Potter. You'll need it."

They saw him walk away in his usual swagger.

"Bad faith." Harry muttered as though quoting it from some history text book.

"Huh?" Ron asked.

"Or better yet, 'zhuai ge'." Harry exclaimed.

"What language is that?" Ron asked.

"Chinese. It's a rough translation of the name 'Draco Malfoy'. It's double meaning is 'arrogant guy'."

Ron burst out laughing at that while Harry stared out the window trying to imagine what would Malfoy's reaction be?

Hermione shook her head whispered, "I think we just acquired an ally."

Ron coughed, "Yeah, with arrogant guy!"

But Harry nodded, "I think so too."

As they reached the seventh floor, Ron and Hermione were arguing about the pros and cons of talking to a Slytherin on a regular basis.

"You just hate him because you father and his father has never gotten along!"

"Why do you think that is? Believe it or not, Hermione, but Weasleys and Malfoys have never gotten along for a very long time!"

"That's true, Hermione." Harry said, flipping his knut. "There was a family feud two to three generations ago. A Black heir was supposed to choose between two suitors."

"Let me guess. A Weasely and a Malfoy?" She said sardonically.

"Yeah. She went with Septimus Weasely, my Dad's dad. Never actually met them, though." Ron mumbled.

"Uh…so, Malfoy's trying to be humane to us. He was rather rude until before Christmas. What do you think changed his outlook?" Hermione asked trying to deviate the topic.

"Probably his Core." Harry whispered to himself.

Ron said, rolling his eyes. "I'm not believing him so easily. You can keep your thoughts to yourself, Harry. It's rather silly to open a can of worms just because the worms asked you without any insults."

"What if you needed the worms in potions?" Harry asked.

"I meant it in a metaphorical statement."

"I did too."

"I didn't understand that."

"What if you need the worms?" Hermione posed the question now.

"Maybe you think you need the worms, but you actually don't." Ron clarified.

"Worms need not be bad, Ron."

"Worms aren't needed in the first place, Hermione!"

"That's because you don't know the abilities."

"Trust me, I know what the worms can do."

"Shouldn't have opened the can of worms." Harry sighed. He said the password to Debby and trying to ignore the jibber jabber of his friends. Harry looked around the large room where many students were loitering around.

"Words of the year - Never open the can of worms, willingly!" Harry shouted to everyone present. The chatter died down and they stared at him as though they had never seen him before.

* * *

E minor … G minor … F minor …

The days went past easily. Now that the hubbub of what had happened with Quirrell dies down, Hogwarts felt a bit normal. Of course, that didn't mean that it was boring. One of Fred Weasley's sayings – Hogwarts is never boring even if you remove all the kids and staff and magical creatures. Within a few hours the castle would come alive.

Harry had no will to think against it.

A few days ago, they had read that Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel had passed away and the last rites were done privately. They were buried in Godric's Hollow.

A minor …

Harry frowned at his guitar. His fingers were twitching as though he was missing something. But he couldn't have been. He had thought of everything he could do at the moment before school was out. Every morning he'd go to the outskirts of the forest to practice connecting with his Core. He wasn't sure how that would help in travelling all the way to another continent, but he had to figure it out.

He kept a look out for himself as Draco Malfoy had warned him to. The Slytherin was rude to him and his friends anymore, but he did ignore them altogether. Harry supposed that his Core must have helped there. Now he just had to understand what it was…

His fingers jerked again and the pick fell inside the guitar. Harry groaned. He hated it when that happened. It was never easy to get it out!

Turning his guitar upside down, he shook it wildly. Of course, the pick didn't fall. Drawing out his wand he tried to stick that into the hole. He couldn't even see the pick, so it wasn't any use. He tried to feel it with his fingers.

He couldn't go far with it. The inside of the guitar was almost as cold as his fingers which meant it felt normal to him. But no pick.

Harry sighed and shrunk the guitar and put it in his pocket. Leaning back against the slope of the tower he looked at the picturesque view of the Hogwarts grounds, lake and forest.

This was one of the things he loved about the castle. Breathing in the fresh air, Harry smelt a tinge of sweetness he had been waiting for a long time.

His eyes snapped to Hagrid's hut and saw it. A tiny pink spot growing among the slightly larger orange spots and yellow cabbage spots.

'Finally!' Bolt crowed. She was almost jumping with excitement. Harry hoped she wouldn't jump out. She'd fall right off the Gryffindor Tower. But she could flash out of the air before she'd hit the ground right?

Harry wondered if he just jumped from here, would she be able to flash him out too?

'DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!'

"Alright, alright." Harry mumbled. He crouched, grabbed the window below him and swung himself downwards and into the Seventh Year Dorm corridor. He closed the window and ran.

It took a few minutes. He leaped over the trick steps, dodged the ghosts, greeted the paintings, addressed the teachers as he ran past all of them. He nearly crashed into Flitwick but just jumped over him in record time.

"Potter?!"

"Sorry, Professor. But this can't wait!"

"Detention!" Snape snarled as Harry almost flew across him. Harry raised his hand to acknowledge that. Detention with Snape was always at eight in the evening. It was boring each time.

Harry pushed open the large thick heavy door of the main entrance and crossed the bridge to get to Hagrid's hut. He couldn't hear the GameKeeper, so he ran right into the garden and stopped at the tiny plant.

It was small, not even reaching past his ankle. But he could see the small whitish pink bud beside a small leaf.

Harry reached out and cupped the top of the plant within his palms. It had been a long time since he had made a plant grow within seconds, but he was too impatient to not do it. The moment the leaves grew bigger, Harry counted to three before releasing the plant.

Surrounded by four leaves, a small pink flower bloomed just seconds ago was nestled snuggle within the plant. Harry sat down and stared at the little beauty. The centre was yellowish which morphed into a dark pink hue which lightened at the edges of the petals.

He could see why this was his Mum's favourite. A lily symbolized feminity and tiger lilies showed the more powerful and aggressive nature of female. Pink tiger lilies represented unconditional love. Her beauty would draw one in and if someone did try to harm her or her loved ones, they were doomed.

Tiger lilies were usually orange, but Lily Potter had loved the soft pink petals of her tiger lily plants that she grew in her garden. She was one of the most powerful Elementals in her time. Harry inherited his Core from her. And James? Well, his Physical Core wasn't something to be taken lightly.

Harry reached for a watering can and poured some on the ground to check whether it was water. Knowing Hagrid, it could have been herbicide.

Confirming it, Harry watered his tiger lily and the plant shimmered as if it enjoyed it.

"I actually wasn't sure what to do, when you had finally bloomed. I was too impatient to think of it. But now that you are here I don't know what to say."

The flower swayed at that.

Harry sighed. He removed his cap and attached it to the loop of his jeans belt. Running a hand through his hair, Harry said, "Thank you."

He bit his lip and continued, "I'm not saying thank you for dying for me. I'm saying thank you for being there. For the first sixteen months of my life, I have you to owe to. I can never fulfill that, I suppose. But…"

"I hope you are looking after Sally and Percy too. I know they'd love to meet you. Percy would especially love Rosie. Probably even more than me but that's not important."

Harry sighed again. What was he supposed to say?!

"I love you. And Rosie and Dad. I know you're listening. It doesn't matter that I can't see you, right? You're always there, aren't you?"

He looked at the flower. The plant leaned forwards and touched his fingers softly. Harry frowned.

"I may not be the son you expected, but I'm going to try to be. I don't know what you want but I'll try to guess. I can't do much else, I suppose."

The flower bristled.

"Yeah. I miss you too." He whispered.

He touched his scar absentmindedly and got up. While he walked back to the castle, Harry didn't see a small water drop fall off one of the lily's petals like a tear.

* * *

**Touching? Well, that's the end. Stay tuned for the next story – 'The Memory' **

**For those who don't know, Harry's playing a simple version of Hedwig's theme.**

**Cabba.**


	23. AN!

The Memory has been released! The first chapter is out and those of you who haven't started it yet, start it!

I'm removing this chapter in a few days.

Sneak Peek :

**Within seconds, the fire died down. Harry let out a sigh and dropped the extinguisher to pick up the black remains of a radio from the sink. He looked directly at Dudley, who shrunk back, and said in a dry voice, "You put a malfunctioning radio in the sink? I didn't expect that even from you, Dudley."**

Thank you –

Juli Beawr  
HPWallFlower  
RedRangerBelt  
E J ect  
theHuntress101  
Mythomagic-Champion  
Weird'sMyName  
Rinnesuke  
Alexander Pierce  
Moriviv  
xXTheDragonRiderXx  
rekrula  
Draculoramalfoy11  
Lily887787  
lynnsophie12  
tiger1lily  
KingslyKnight

NoTagBacks  
c im am a dragon  
Triksele  
alaskanwoman25  
Siren Called  
TroyWeb  
banannibo  
VERA VIV

I hope you and everyone else (please review, I need to know your thoughts) enjoy the sequel!


End file.
